Perishable: Plastic, Healthcare, and People

What environmentalists once regarded as a "litter crisis" is turning rapidly into a health crisis, as investigators examine the impacts of plastics under a microscope, and also begin to quantify the health effects of extraction and production of what are, at base, highly chemical materials. On examination, what has long been touted as a convenient and inexpensive material is in fact associated with  significant ad costly burden of disease. Many of the chemicals used to manufacture plastics are carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and neurotoxicants. An even greater number are unstudied and their effects are unknown -- though it is becoming increasingly clear that the microplastics that linger in the human body can provide an ongoing source of exposure. Briefly, Wolff will review a few of the recommendations of the report, including a reduction in the production of single use plastics and chemical reformulation to remove known toxicants from the production process.