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Why are plastic straws bad for the environment?
“They create what we call microplastics. We're finding these flecks of plastic in everything from the forage fish that are at the base of the food web up through the kinds of fish that we end up putting on our dinner plate.” - George Leonard, Chief Scientist for the Ocean Conservancy (Source)
Plastic is a robust material. It’s popular in manufacturing because it’s durable, mouldable, and versatile.
Yet, this durability is also its biggest flaw when it comes to environmental impact.
“The other half of the environment argument concerns the ability of microplastics to suck up industrial chemicals and pesticides as they make their way through the environment, and deliver them to organisms like birds, fish and shellfish that consume the plastic.”
Although Professor Rae admits that the amount of harm these chemicals can have is still up for debate, it’s clearly a concern that plastic is entering our food chain. Which leads us to our final concern — human health.
Why are plastic straws bad for our health?
“Plastics in general pose a major threat to health by leaching endocrine disruptors (chemicals that interfere with your hormones).” - Dr Jolene Brighten, founder of Rubus Health (Source)
It’s not just chemical-absorbing microplastics that are a concern; plastic straws contain chemicals themselves.
The straws are typically made using polypropylene, a type of plastic made from petroleum. And although the FDA has found this to be food-safe, chemicals from the plastic could leach into liquids, releasing compounds which may affect estrogen levels.
In our recent interview with Maria Westerbos of the Plastic Soup Foundation, she touched on the need to switch the narrative around plastic from an environmental problem to a people problem — and highlighting the health concerns is the way to go.
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