The Plastic Ocean(s)

I want to take a little time to enlighten you about a problem that, to this day, still has me in shock and horror. I am not sure how many of you have heard of this problem. I’ve mentioned it to a few others and some were aware, others were left in disbelief. I should note that I have attempted to do as much research/digging as I can, but I may not have all the facts. Regardless, I am sure you’ll get the bigger picture.

The Plastic Ocean, otherwise known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, consists of a very large (some say the size of Texas or Alaska, the article I just linked suggests maybe twice the size of the continental United States) pile of plastic debris that is currently floating around in the North Pacific Ocean.

Adult Albatross died from ingesting plastic (source: http://www.mindfully.org)

Plastic floating around in the ocean causes several major problems. First of all, marine animals can ingest the plastic, become entangled in it, and/or wind up lacerated by it. This can lead to severe injury and death. The photo shows the remains of an adult Albatross who died from ingesting plastic (source) near Hawaii. Secondly, as the plastic degrades it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. Eventually, it will break down to the molecular level, but it never breaks down into pure organic compounds. The breakdown of plastic can release chemicals such as Bisphenol A, PCPs, and derivatives of Polystyrene (#6 Plastic) (source). All of these compounds are toxic to marine life. Keep in mind, that’s the same marine life many people choose to eat. Ironic?

Scientists have been working to determine how quickly the plastic breaks down. Their studies have revealed some plastics break down much quicker than they had originally thought. Also, to this day, scientists are still not entirely sure exactly how much plastic is currently in the Pacific Ocean, because once the plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, it will sink. Some plastic also might remain suspended in the water column (source).

I’ve often wondered exactly where the plastic came from. Obviously, it’s an invention of man, but who is responsible for such a large amount of plastic in the Pacific Ocean? The pollutants seem to come from land and marine-based sources. It sounds as if the plastic was brought to the Pacific by way of rivers, perhaps wind, and most-likely people choosing to dump their trash overboard. Lovely.

Not surprisingly, the Pacific Ocean isn’t the only ocean to sport its own plastic trash pile. Both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans have similar problems (source). As for remediation? NOAA is currently working to remove “ghost nets” from the Pacific Ocean, and some companies have chosen to begin making plastics from bio-degradable sources, such as corn and starch (source). While all of this is great, people need to start recycling more. I think that responsibility falls on the shoulders of consumers, as well as city and state governments to work toward providing recycling facilities for residents and businesses.

The Frightening Truth About Plastics

Plastics make it possible, right? To be honest, when I first learned about what’s in plastic, and what plastic can do to our food, I was frightened. I remember standing in my kitchen looking at my mixing bowls, spatulas, and tupperware containers. I looked at our plastic coffee mugs, the plastics our condiments came in, even the yogurt, milk, and juice. They were everywhere, and I couldn’t help but wonder how safe I was after having consumed food that was stored in them.

The thing is, not all plastics are as bad as others. It depends on the type of plastic. There really is no “safe” plastic though, so I am beginning to consider switching all of my containers out (once they are no longer useable) for glass and stainless steel instead.

The most important thing in making that decision, though, is knowing about your plastics. Each type of plastic is assigned a number and a name (which is just an abbreviation for the full title). Here is a list of plastics that exist (taken from Loux):

1. PETE: Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene. It is used for water, soda, juice, shampoo, detergent bottles and peanut butter containers. It’s considered a “safer” plastic because although it contains stabilizers and flame retardants it has fewer chemicals that can leach into food, drinks, and soil.

2. HDPE: High-density polyethylene. This is an opaque plastic used for milk jugs, plastic bags, bleach bottles, and cleaning bottles. It too is considered “safer” because it doesn’t leach as much.

3. PVC: Polyvinyl chloride, or just vinyl chloride. This is used for plastic cling wrap, cooking oil, water pipes, some toys, and plastic spray bottles. This plastic is a known carcinogen, and can leach compounds such as plasticizers, phthalates, and di-(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA).

4. LDPE: Low-density polyethylene. This is used for plastic grocery bags, plastic wrap, and some baby bottles. It is “safer” because it doesn’t leach as much.

5. PP: Polypropylene. This is used for plastic containers and tubs and some plastic squeeze bottles. This is considered a “safer” plastic because, again, it doesn’t leach as much, and it can withstand high temperatures.

6. PS: Polystyrene. This plastic is used for styrofoam containers and plastic cultery. It is considered dangerous because styrene, which is used to make polystyrene, is extremely toxic to the brain and nervous system, and this compound can leach from the container. Styrene is also a suspected carcinogen, and may have adverse effects on red blood cells, the liver, kidney, and stomach.

7. Other: usually polycarbonate. This is used for hard plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, sport water bottles, metal food can liners, and 5-gallon water bottles. This is a dangerous plastic because it can leach Bisphenol-A (BPA). Loux explains that “Almost all government funded studies clearly link BPA with adverse effects, including changes in hormone levels, early puberty, changes in gender-specific behavior, prostate enlargement, decreased sperm production, altered immune functon, and behavioral effects to include hyperactivity, increased aggression, and impaired learning”.

7*. PLA: Polylactic acid and other bio-based plastics. These are used for deli containers and take-out food containers, cold cups, straws, food wraps, cultery, even toothbrushes. These plastics are the safest of all, because they are nontoxic, biodegradable, and they are made with renewable resources. It also takes less energy to manufacture them, and the manufacturing process releases less greenhouse gases.

Well, there you have it. Pretty scary, isn’t it? I still store my food in plastic containers since they are still good and I consider it a waste (of money too) to replace all of them right now. I no longer heat anything in plastic though, as this can cause a greater amount of compounds to be leached into food.