Action item at the end:
“Avoid plastics as much as you can. Reducing your use of ultraprocessed foods can reduce the levels of the chemical exposures you come in contact with,” Trasande said. “Never put plastic containers in the microwave or dishwasher, where the heat can break down the linings so they might be absorbed more readily.”
Here are other tips to reduce exposure:
· Use unscented lotions and laundry detergents.
· Use cleaning supplies without scents.
· Use glass, stainless steel, ceramic or wood to hold and store foods.
· Buy fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables instead of canned and processed versions.
· Encourage frequent handwashing to remove chemicals from hands.
· Avoid air fresheners and all plastics labeled as No. 3, No. 6 and No. 7.
What kind of containers do people use? It seems every container I find, even the glass ones, will have silicone or some other plastic lid.
Silicone is not plastic.
The food is not stored in the lid and it’s trivial to remove the plastic lid before microwaving. I’m happy with that compromise, and am only unhappy with rabid capitalism meaning if I find one I like, it’s already been discontinued
I reuse glass jars. Smaller ones for spices, bigger ones for cooked/portioned foods to store in the fridge, and those massive pickle jars are really good for storing dry pulses and grains as the mouth is wide enough to use a cup to scoop out portions.
I wish there was an alternative to technical fabrics, since they are all synthetic and basically all like wearing plastic. There’s simply no avoiding them, and no, merino wool, cotton, bamboo, hemp, and any other natural fabric is absolutely not the same as technical fabric. 😮💨
There’s simply no avoiding them
I’ve been avoiding them for 5 years now. It would be more accurate to say “It’s not easy to avoid them”. I don’t shop at “normal” clothing stores at all anymore.
If you’re an athlete, there’s absolutely no way you’re avoiding synthetic fabric. Jerseys are all made from synthetic fabric, for example.
If you’re competing, yes obviously.
I run and cycle in cotton, linnen or wool, but I don’t compete anywhere.
True, I can’t really afford the alternatives either. Which lead to me being active in the local clothes-sharing community, and I got a sweet deal with the local tailor: I manage her website and she changes/fixes my clothes for free, and lets me look through the clothes that never got picked back up from her shop regularly.
I’d like to see more investigation /reading on laundry. My understanding is the biggest source of pollution is the manufacture, which can and should be more regulated.
However under your control, it’s the laundry that causes the most shedding. Is there a way to filter the laundry or something to minimize the impact of technical fabrics?
I hand wash my technical fabric, then air dry. If that matters, then I’ll keep doing that 😀
I would love to avoid plastic, but it seems inevitable that I’ll consume or inhale it in some way. It’s probably contaminating my drugs which come in plastic, I likely breathe it in while driving, it’s in a lot of clothing these days (even if I wore all cotton, people around me still would likely have it on them), and any time I eat out, something in my food will absolutely come out of plastic in some way.
We should never have allowed oil companies do this to us and our planet. It’s too late now, and we’ll be dealing with the consequences for generations.
While it’s true that there’s no escaping it entirely, reducing your average daily intake through means you can control is generally worthwhile, especially if there are some easy options available to you personally. It’s the same with lots of unhealthy things in life; it’s not all or nothing, it’s a spectrum of risk.
While it’s inescapable, that’s not a reason to give up hope. We’ve been mostly fine so far with some plastic, but like everything else it’s the lack of moderation that will kill us. Think of it more as an exposure level, and yes you can make a difference in your life.
I believe I’ve made a difference over the last few years
- replace teflon pans with cast iron and stainless steel
- replace worn plastic food storage with glass
- replace worn plastic cutting boards with bamboo
- replace plastic utensils with silicone or stainless steel
- replace plastic water bottles with stainless steel
- go back to cotton for some clothing
- greatly reduce ultraprocessed food - do more of my own cooking
- currently getting wet because I need a new rain jacket but have been looking for one without PFOA or similar
It’s only a start, but it’s under my control, does make a difference, and doesn’t really cost much money or inconvenience. It was many small changes over years, a lot of it timed for when I needed to replace stuff anyway. If everyone did this, we’d make even bigger differences by cutting back contamination from manufacturing so much
For example chicken tenderloins are similar convenience to chicken strips, but they’re just chicken
Well, fuck me.
Buy fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables instead of canned and processed versions.
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So phtalates are also used in canning processes or what?
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Frozen fruits and vegetables often come in plastic bags. So what now?
The goal is less plastic. Eliminating it entirely isn’t always possible but you can make incremental personal progress.
Also, every market near me sells loose vegetables and fruit, speaking personally. Bring a cloth bag.
every market near me sells loose vegetables and fruit, speaking personally. Bring a cloth bag.
Yes of course. But I was speaking about frozen fruits and vegs specifically. (Besides, they usually have higher nutrional quality than those from the shelf, as their degradation process is slowed early after harvest, when they’re most nutritious.)
Canned/tin foods are often lined with plastic.
Because of course they are.
The industry has only recently finished phasing out bisphenol A (BPA) linings in their cans. No doubt phthalates will be the next damaging thing they realize they need to phase out circa 2040.
https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/bpa-update-tracking-canned-food-phaseout
