Opinion
N the Red
27
Plastic planet
Tupperware containers choking us, environment Sydney Territo
W
terrisyd000@hsestudents.org
henever I bring my lunch to school, it almost always ends up coming in plastic containers or bags. While this is fairly common among students, it should not be. lastic not only has a bad effect on students’ health, but when it ends up in the garbage can, it affects the land that it ends up in. Plastic containers are usually made of a mix of different types of polymers made with long carbon chains, according to Ecolife, a website used as a resource for green living. The most common polymer used in Tupperware-esque containers and plastic beverage bottles is polyethylene, which makes a more flexible plastic using a compound called Bisphenol A, or BPA. A lot of plastics have been criticized since they leach BPA, which mimics the hormone estrogen and has been directly linked by CertiChem and PlastiPure researchers to reproductive cancers and developmental problems with sex organs, such as reduced sperm count, early puberty in women and birth defects in fetuses. While many companies have now started selling BPA free products, it may not be as safe as one would think. In a study done by geneticist atricia Hunt about the reproductive effects of BPA on mice, she discovered that BPA-containing plastics and BPA-free plastics were not so different. ompanies started using isphenol S in place of BPA, which acts almost exactly like BPA, causing the same genetic defects. In an experiment by CertiChem about estrogenic plastics, their lab techs took various plastic products and tested to see what chemicals were leached out after a series of longevity tests. Estrogenic chemicals were leached out of 70% of the products in the preliminary alcohol/ saltwater soak, and 95% leached chemicals after
going through the stress of being exposed to microwaves, dishwashers and sunlight. Plastic is not only dangerous when it comes to people using it day to day. In a study done by the S Environmental rotection gency E summari ing the effects of plastic on a uatic life and the organisms that depend on it, they found flame retardants in plastics such as E, which is a chemical used to slow ignition rate of flammable products, to be possible neurotoxins, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. In waterways like Geist Reservoir, the idea of it being full of chemicals that could cause cancer is pretty terrifying, especially since a lot of people live on the water and swim in it. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce the amount of plastic being used. In an article by the ational esources efense Council about using less plastic products, they recommend avoiding one-use plastics, stop buying bottled water and recycling. In an article by North Carolina State niversity, they recommend using glass containers, canning jars, silicone containers, cloth sacks for dry food like sandwiches and stainless steel bowls for storage. My family started to buy and use Pyrex glass containers for food storage, which works just as well as plastic and keeps BPA out of our foods. These containers also make for fantastic soup storage, since they all come with lids that seal them. My family has a fairly large collection of them now, and I would fully recommend them as plastic container substitutes. Plastic harms our waterways, bodies and future children, so I suggest that anyone wanting to save the Earth switch to less harmful products. Consider changing from plastic to readily available, easy to use containers like glass containers or cloth sacks, which will work just as well, and be better for overall health and the planet.
The tupperware spreads out, covering the Earth, representing a world covered in plastic. Avoiding plastics like these can reduce the amount found in our oceans and on our land. Photo by Sydney Territo.
