Refuse Plastic

My dear beloved grandmother died of cancer at the age of just 64. I was only 13 at the time but my search for knowledge drove me to investigate what it was that she did repeatedly that may have caused the disease.

My mind focused on aluminum because she used saucepans made of that metal in her kitchen, but so did just about everyone else. But I was driven to research the stuff and what I found out was disturbing, even for one at that age. My main concern was leeching of aluminium molecules into food during cooking. After that I took note of people who died of cancer and their cooking pots, which were invariably aluminum.

Now I am finding the same thing in relation to plastic. Adults are developing mouth and throat cancers years after they suckled on plastic dummies and drank their milk from plastic. Research shows that this was a just call. Plastic leeches toxic substances into food, especially as it is heated and repeatedly reused.

"Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly; the molecular bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. Since the 1950s, one billion tons of plastic has been discarded and may persist for hundreds or even thousands of years.[16] In some cases, burning plastic can release toxic fumes. Burning the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may create dioxin.[17] Also, the manufacturing of plastics often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants" (Wikipedia)

Man has become a wiz at combining earths elements into compounds that would never have formed otherwise. And what's more we pay the inventors of such things handsomely as we crave the new substance like kids in a lolly shop. We can't wait to get our hands on it and to do what the latest movie buff is doing. What a sick lot we are and most have no idea what I am talking about. Do you?

By my age you know how slowly the medical world catches up to stuff that people have suspected or known for years. This is the case with plastic. Although my mum would never have let us have anything that might affect our health plastic was not around much in her day. But now it is everywhere and just how observant are you as to the way it is infiltrating every aspect of our lives?

While a medical student we were treated to the pleasure of actually making polystyrene in the laboratory. It was fun to take a few chemicals and to drip one into the other through the special instruments and then watch as the compound created suddenly bubbled up and produced the foamy substance that is the basis of this plastic. It was a long time ago now and bio chemistry was a fascinating subject but not one I excelled in. Nonetheless the experiment left its mark in my memory.

This report is from Wikipedia:- "Due to their insolubility in water and relative chemical inertness, pure plastics generally have low toxicity in their finished state, and will pass through the digestive system with no ill effect (other than mechanical damage or obstruction).

"However, plastics often contain a variety of toxic additives. For example, plasticizers like adipates and phthalates are often added to brittle plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make them pliable enough for use in food packaging, children's toys and teethers, tubing, shower curtains and other items. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of the plastic when it comes into contact with food. Out of these concerns, the European Union has banned the use of DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), the most widely used plasticizer in PVC. Some compounds leaching from polystyrene food containers have been found to interfere with hormone functions and are suspected human carcinogens.

"Moreover, while the finished plastic may be non-toxic, the monomers used in its manufacture may be toxic; and small amounts of those chemicals may remain trapped in the product. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recognized the chemical used to make PVC, vinyl chloride, as a known human carcinogen Some polymers may also decompose into the monomers or other toxic substances when heated.

The primary building block of polycarbonates, bisphenol A (BPA), is an estrogen-like endocrine disruptor that may leach into food. Research in Environmental Health Perspectives finds that BPA leached from the lining of tin cans, dental sealants and polycarbonate bottles can increase body weight of lab animals' offspring. A more recent animal study suggests that even low-level exposure to BPA results in insulin resistance, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease."

Many cities in Australia have banned or are outlawing the use of plastic bags. Some stores charge for them if customers insist on having their goods packaged this way. But many stores have produced their own cloth bags which people buy for a few cents and take shopping for reuse over and over for years to come. They are strong, reliable and far less hazardous if they end up in the rubbish bin.

When shopping my personal pull along trolley is the answer to plastic bags. Everything goes in unwrapped just like the old fashioned shopping baskets, which my grandmother took with her to the shops. Its surprising how much does not need to be in a bag at all.

Years ago things bought at grocery stores were put into paper bags, but that is not a sustainable practice or worthwhile solution to the problem. But making cheap bags out of material is, or even doing some crochet work. For instance, if you have odd bits of fabric lying around unused then create some small bags into which you can put some grocery items, e.g. bananas, beans, zuccinis, etc. Keep each separate for weighing at the checkout. That means having a few of these little packets in your trolley.

As others see what you have done they might copy the idea themselves and before long we could see this taking off as a new trend. The good side to this is that these bags can be washed and used again and again for years.

If you don't have a supermarket supplying you with larger cotton bags then make you own. Get some really strong fabric and cut to size, sew into a bag shape and put two sturdy crescent shaped handles at the top, one on either side. Its surprising how well they work. They pack nicely into your trolley and into the boot of the car.

As for goods stored in plastic there are often alternatives to buying them. For instance don't buy cheese in plastic but go to the deli and get it cut and put into your own cotton bag. Same thing with meats and fruit. Its up to us to refuse the plastic and to stop turning it into refuse. I find a lot of stuff comes in glass and plastic, such as sauces. Here you need to choose only the glass packaged products.

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