To feel frightened/powerless in face of plastics

[CreamLampshade]

Even if I tried, I cannot avoid micro plastics - they are in our water and our food. And the evidence is mounting that they are fucking us up in so many ways.

the latest studies show they are probably behind the massive decline in male fertility: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/20/microplastics-human-testicles-study-sperm-counts

(I have suspected this for years as they are endocrine disrupters).

what can we do? It’s bloody everywhere and so hard to avoid without a lot of effort. Does anyone manage it? Is anyone else nervous too?

i worry for our children and all the crap that is accumulating in their bodies.

Life is full of risks. But we achieve nothing by worrying about them. Don't waste the life you have - just live it!

If the worry leads to positive action it’s a good thing.

@Spaghettily
Well obviously

So sorry about your cancer diagnosis. Like you say there has been an explosion of this type of cancer in younger people. I do think it’s an environmental issue and micro plastics everywhere and in our water supply are not helping.

I had breast cancer when I was 34 and I do wonder if it’s linked back to UPFs becoming more common in the 80s and the use of plastics in our environment. I was (and still am), slim, healthy and active. Though I was brought up on Findus crispy pancakes and other delights.

Like you say, every person I met in support groups was healthy,
active and not overweight. I think there’s more going on. 1 in 2 of us will get cancer.

I would like to see governments introducing legislation to reduce and eventually ban plastics. Let’s go back to glass and brown paper. I think we have to take control of the UPF issue but I worry for my children. Maybe we could try and get companies to reduce all the crap and emulsifiers and e numbers they put in everything? You really need to read the labels and they are so sneaky.

Or some sort of tax on UPFs? I know this will never happen but I wish the government would do something.

It’s not just men it’s also women

It’s difficult especially for those of us with disabilities that find some plastics helpful as they cut down on the amount of prep that takes a lot of work.

Thanks OP I agree. And like @Spaghettily said there is action we can all take with a quick email to our local MPs.

This govt consultation from autumn 2023 shows 95% of the public agreed with banning the single use plastics they specified - which were a drop in the plastic ocean but showed unequivocal support for banning plastic:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/wet-wipes-containing-plastic-proposed-ban-on-the-manufacture-supply-and-sale/outcome/summary-of-responses-and-government-response

Maybe the first thing is to require that all plastic use is labelled - we can't proactively avoid it when it's invisible in clothes, food packaging etc. If there was a big lime green P branded really obviously on everything that would make the toxic link more evident and get us thinking so we can choose alternatives where possible.

Maybe another thing would be to require supermarkets to sell bags for life without making any profit on them? They could add charity food bank/ green charity donations to keep the price up to discourage people from using them regularly but not make profits themselves.

💯 agree with this. If I was young now, I would choose not to have kids. It's horrendous what human beings are doing to our planet. On top of that, we are probably considered a reasonably caring nation, but thinking of my immediate family and friends etc.. nobody lives their life really worrying about things like this. Yes they recycle and pick up litter, but that's about it. All well educated people but I think the problem is just too big for many to grasp.

I was listening to a podcast today which was talking about the effective of female contraception hormones getting peed into our water systems and negatively affecting the fertility of loads of fish species.
Further testing of 5 parts hormone to.a.trillion part water was enough to cause low fertile rates and changes to fish reproductive systems.

It will be too late and i do worry for our kids and grandkids.

Giving blood apparently lowers the total pfa's in your bloodstream by around 10%. I do it every two months but am thinking of switching to plasma as that lowers it by 30% and can be done fortnightly if you so wish.

@CreamLampshade it’s a Larq filter bottle.

I worry about this too @CreamLampshade trying to limit the amount of UPF my child consumes but the plastic is everywhere - can’t find a good water bottle for a toddler that doesn’t have plastic in it. At this point it may also be too late as we have been using plastic plates, plastic water bottles and plastic bottles and teats for all of their life so far!

if anyone knows where to get non plastic toddler water bottles / sippy cups / plates and cutlery let me know! I haven’t been able to find any.

100% agree with this. Government is being lobbied by big companies. So they need to hear the consumer voice. MPs do too. They think all we care about is cost of living and f*ing immigration - it’s a joke and simply untrue.

Jesus that’s scary. Also I wonder if it’s partly behind the big rise in depression. Hormones f*ck with your mood - I go suicidal on them within a week no matter which one. If I’m slowly ingesting small amounts surely that could be behind mood issues.

Wow. That’s dedication!

So hard with kids stuff!! I wonder what they used before?! Maybe enamal plates? You can get small side plates that are still light etc. not sure about bottles tho.

I worried about this as well @CreamLampshade and @Loveofmine and feel tremendously guilty that we used plastic cups, plates etc until DDs were 7 or 8. IKEA BPA-free and never hot food but apparently the replacements plastics are just as concerning.

Then I thought about the plastic wrappings around most of the food they were eating incl. fresh fruit, which were in a lot more contact than the 15mins at mealtime! Have moved to as much plastic free as possible over the past 2-3 years but it’s totally overwhelming and a massive anxiety trigger. Really all we can do is reduce as much as possible I think, but interested in where your thoughts are about it now …

Enamel plates used to contain nickel and lead.

You could use bamboo (although that will have its own environmental cost). Or wood (same). For cups, they would have been wood or earthenware - plenty of clay cups with a perforated nipple in antiquity, along with animal horn. Or they'd book a wet nurse to deal with everything baby related, no bottles required.

Latex was good until so many people became allergic to it. And latex plantations wouldn't be particularly environmentally friendly.

Bone was used, as was whalebone and ivory (and nobody's going to be keen on that).

The trouble is that so much stuff is only accessible to people because of plastics - pen injectors are plastic, infection control success is largely due to plastics, having more than one or two items of clothing is feasible due to plastics, affordable housing, fresh and hygienic food - to go back to a medieval/pre oil, pre plastic, pre industrialised society just isn't going to happen.

@NeverDropYourMooncup ‘The trouble is that so much stuff is only accessible to people because of plastics’

Thats a good way of looking at it though, a lot of us probably wouldn’t be alive without them.

Well "something" is causing the increases in Autism and ADHD.

There is no increase we have just integrated them into society instead of locking them away

Years ago there were "very few downs children" actually there were lots they were hidden

Years ago there were hardly any sex offenders actually there were lots they were dealt with or protected by the families involved

Years ago many things were hidden many mass graves coming to light they all existed you just didn't see them