This article first appeared in our Organic September 2024 issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox
By the beginning of 2024, I had been bombarded – pretty much every day for two years – by frankly terrifying information on plastics and their impact on human health.
Factor in that I had also attended two largely soul-crushing UN Global Plastics Treaty conferences, one in Nairobi and one in Paris, on how best to manage our out-of-control global
plastics addiction.
I decided that the best thing I could do was pee in a cup. For science.
If I am totally honest it was probably more because I (almost selfishly) wanted a tangible stake in the fight against plastics, microplastics and the toxic chemicals that are poisoning us.
But that concept is hard to quantify and bring to life without doing a plastic tox test – hence peeing in the cup.
EARTHDAY.ORG worked hard to get some plastic tox test kits and we persuaded a few other people to take the test at the same time.
The test would reveal how much phthalate and bisphenol – two common plastic additive chemicals, both of which are toxic – are in the body at the time of testing.
We collectively shipped our urine samples off to Million Marker Labs in California in February this year, leaving just enough time to receive the test results back by 22 April: Earth Day.
The plan was that I’d be able to make a big announcement in Ottawa at the UN’s fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, INC-4, on the Global Plastics Treaty.
I wanted to get the attention of delegates – whether members of civil society or high-ranking government officials – whom I hoped would then be eager to show me the time of day when it came to fighting back against the production of plastics.
Things took a little longer than expected – no fault of the lab – and I did not receive my results until June, just as I was finishing writing a report, Pets Vs. Plastics.
This report followed on from Babies Vs. Plastics, which was released last November.
These reports look at the way in which plastics, in the form of microplastics and their additives, impact the health of our pets and our kids.
When the results came back I was stunned. As the director of the End Plastics initiative at EARTHDAY.ORG, I have cut as much plastic as I possibly can from my life; I think about plastics pretty much all day, every day. I know how to avoid plastics in toiletries, clothes, cans and a whole heap of other less obvious places.
Given I am committed to reducing plastic production by 60% by 2040, I could not fathom how I ranked so highly for plastic chemicals.
How could I, the King of Anti-Plastics as I am affectionately known at work, have a higher number of bisphenols in my system than 89% of those tested by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
It wasn’t just me; Hollywood actress Amanda Seyfried had also agreed to do the plastic tox test and was in the top 72% for phthalates. Her beloved dog Finn, who was also tested, ranked in the top 90% for phthalates. It was devastating.
The first step in fighting back against this mass poisoning is to educate ourselves as much as we can about how these chemicals are ingested and inhaled, irrespective of whether or not we agree with the use of plastics.
And let’s be honest – none of us ever agreed to this.
Here’s what everyone should know: our results confirmed that two of the most common chemical additives in plastics are indeed bisphenols (which include BPA and BPS) and phthalates.
Phthalates are used to make hard plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible and durable. They are found in tonnes of products, from pet toys to human food packaging.
Amanda suspects that Finn’s very high levels are down to the plastic packaging that his pet food comes in, and she is now rethinking the food she buys for him.
One of the most significant health issues associated with phthalates is endocrine disruption. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can mimic, block or interfere with the body’s hormones; this can impact puberty, fertility, growth, mood and a whole host of other crucial functions for which the endocrine system is responsible.
Exposure to phthalates has been connected to reproductive issues and developmental issues in children, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
I tested very high for bisphenol A (BPA), which is found mostly in water bottles, the lining of metal cans and even the piping used for water that leads into people’s homes and drinking sources.
This can make them particularly difficult to avoid.
While there have been some bans on BPA, the industry has simply tweaked the chemical formulas to circumnavigate regulations.
I suspect that my exposure to BPA is primarily due to my water bottle flask, which has a plastic lip to drink from. I have now thrown it out and invested in a stainless-steel bottle instead. But will this be enough to lower my bisphenol reading?
BPAs are nasty chemicals associated with a whole heap of human health issues – from triggering high blood pressure to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
BPA hurts our pets, too; in the Pets Vs. Plastics report we outline research that shows BPAs can impact dogs by changing their gut microbiomes, causing gastrointestinal, neurological and immunological health problems, including cancers.
My one big regret is that I didn’t have my beloved rescue dogs Sally Ride and Buzz tox tested, too; I missed my opportunity in the rush to get samples in.
I’m going to buy my own tests as I want to know what I am inadvertently exposing my pets to.
As a precaution all their plastic toys have been replaced with hemp and old cotton T-shirts they can rip up. Their diet no longer includes anything canned because multiple research papers, including one published in 2017 from the University of Missouri, have reported BPA in canned dog food.
The second step in beating the plastics industry is slightly more difficult; we need to apply pressure on companies and governments so we stop producing plastic.
The biggest plastic polluter in the world is The Coca Cola Company – though it tries very hard to blame that terrible accolade on consumers.
You can influence companies with your wallet; move away from plastic wherever you can, and they will get the message that we have had it with plastics!
For over 80 years we have been misled about the safety of plastic and how it is a ‘miracle’ material.
The fossil fuel-run plastics industry knows this, too; the New York Times reported that lawyers at an industry presentation on ‘forever chemicals’ warned of lawsuits that would ‘dwarf’ asbestos litigation.
The reality is that plastics are killing us and making us ill on a grand scale; cancer rates, neurological disorders and heart attacks are all on the rise.
How long will it take for at least part of this increase to be attributed to microplastics and plastic additive chemicals?
None of this is our fault. This is not like smoking – we can’t choose not to ingest or inhale plastics in one form or another.
But we can do something about it. We need to fight back.
Tell retailers to cut the plastic packaging, avoid cosmetics and toiletries wrapped up in plastic boxes that will just head to landfills, avoid the fast-food companies that bear none of the responsibility for plastic pollution.
Tell your elected representatives you want them to stand up to the fossil fuel-owned plastics industry and reframe plastics as toxic.
Systemic change is never easy; it typically occurs slowly, but by working together we can end the scourge of plastics on our planet and go back to a healthier environment. One that we all deserve – our dogs and cats included.
EARTHDAY.ORG releases new report highlighting the impact of plastics on our pets.
How insect-based pet food is helping cat and dog owners reduce their environmental impact.
Many of us are cutting down on animal products, but can plant-based diets be good for dogs?
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