People around the world discard tons of tiny bits of plastic every year. Those bits can break down into pieces no bigger than a sesame seed or piece of lint. Much of that waste eventually will wind up loose in the environment. These microplastics have been found throughout the oceans and locked in Arctic ice. They can end up in the food chain, showing up in animalsbig and small. Now a host of new studies show that microplastics can break down rapidly. And in some cases, they can alter entire ecosystems.
Scientists have been finding these plastic bits in all kinds of animals, from tiny crustaceans to birds and whales. Their size is a concern. Small animals low on the food chain eat them. When larger animals feed on the small animals, they can end up also consuming large amounts of plastic.
And that plastic…
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Back when there were fewer things to worry about, I swear people hated to see me coming.
I refused to use plastic bags and brought my own glass storage containers. MicroPlastics are released in manufacturing processes and litter the plastic storage bags and containers we use. Paper towels are made stronger by adding [you got it] plastic. The amount of plastic we are caused to consume daily should be made a crime of assault.
I remember [at one lunch counter] watching a man press a sandwich in a toaster press, and explaining to him the brown crust he was producing on his sandwich was made up of acrylamides and carcinogenic. He looked and me for a minute in shock and then leaned harder on the toaster cover.
Oh yes–I’m a barrel of fun after exploring all those things I was taught were safe and healthy. All these companies using Media to sell us things thought our trust equaled stupidity.
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Ah yes, ‘crime of assault’ I think is exactly what it is … great for depop. Everybody is very well conditioned.
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