The ‘plasticization’ of our lifestyle

It’s all around us. We live with it every day. We wear it. We sit on it. We eat/ heat our food in it, nay, we may even be eating it. The word has gained so much fame (or is it infamy?) that we sometimes even use it to describe people we’re allergic to. Of course, you know the word: Plastic!

"Plastic is ubiquitous in our lives because it is convenient and relatively inexpensive," notes writer Paul Goettlich. "It is advertised as safe (or is it?) and that it saves lives (or doesn’t it cost lives?) ... "

The truth about plastic is that it is made by combining monomers into polymers under great heat and pressure during a process called polymerization. There are different formulas for making plastic. Among the additives used are UV filters, plasticizers, flame retardants, colorants, antioxidants, and heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, and lead. In Goettlich’s story titled "You are what you eat," he writes that chemicals are also used to facilitate production "such as mold releases and countless other toxic chemicals regularly added to plastic consumer goods without our knowledge or approval. Many of the intermediary steps of plastics production are used in other plastics or industrial processes and products such as pesticides or fertilizers. For holistic thinkers, the mention of plastics and pesticides in the same sentence should begin an informative thought process ..."

Gottlich tells us the ugly truth and nothing but: "When you eat or drink things that are stored in plastic, taste it, smell it, wear it, sit on it, and so on, plastic is incorporated into you. In fact, the plastic gets into the food and food gets into the plastic and you. So, quite literally, you are what you eat – plastic!"

Gottlich points to vinyl or PVC as the worst plastic. PVC contains the notorious monomer BPA . A few years ago, the Consumers Union found BPA "at worrisome levels" in samples from baby bottles. Children are exposed to BPA through dental sealants with which dentists coat their teeth.

Among its multitude of uses, Gottlich’s article points out that even most cardboard milk containers are now coated with plastic (rather than wax); it is sprayed on both commercial and organic produce to preserve their freshness. It is even used to transport organic produce.

Asked what’s the safest plastic to use – and the safest plastic to microwave food in, Gottlich replies, "Plastic should never contact food. And one should never microwave food – it’s probably as bad or worse than putting it in plastic because it creates free radicals in the food that damage cells in your body. It also heats the plastic, thus increasing the rate of migration into the food."

Gottlich, further courting the ire of the thriving plastics industry, can’t stress this enough: "Plastics, their additives, and other processing chemicals can be toxic at extremely low concentrations. In fact, some are significantly more toxic at extremely low concentrations than at much higher concentrations."

Before we’re eaten up by plastics and we destroy our ecosystem to smithereens, Gottlich urges, "While it’s impossible to avoid all plastics, we must rid our diets and lives of this toxic material as much as possible."

The next plea vs. plastics comes from the Ecological Waste Coalition.

Dear Consumerline,

Having marked World Consumer Rights Day last March 15, we at the Ecological Waste Coalition appeal to Filipino consumers to pay attention to our wasteful habits, particularly in using plastic bags.

Plastic carry bags have become a menace to modern society. From malls and restaurants to bakeries, turo-turo and sari-sari stores, plastic bags are freely dispensed, unmindful of their health and environmental consequences.

Whether unintended or not, plastic litters are strewn all over our surroundings. They get caught in fences, trees, and even in electric posts; obstruct creeks and rivers; suffocate the earth; fly into the seas and oceans; trap birds; choke and kill marine animals. Plastics can last for hundreds of years because they are non-biodegradable.

Harmful substances are released during production, use, and disposal of most plastics. In fact, assorted chemicals and additives are applied to make plastics and hazardous wastes are generated in the course of production. When plastics are burned in dumps or incinerators, toxic pollutants are discharged into the environment, including heavy metals and dioxins.

In the light of what is known about the health and environmental consequences of plastics, we, as consumers, have a role to play in curbing the use of plastics and preventing the "plasticization" of our lifestyle and the environment.

For starters, we can refuse to use checkout plastic bags and bring our bayong or reusable carry bags when we shop. Smart retailers and vendors should follow suit by giving discounts to buyers who bring their own bags or offering earth-friendly customers reusable cloth bags that they can proudly use again and again.

As consumers, we have the right to demand for a healthy and sustainable environment. At the same time, we have the responsibility to be conscious of the social and environmental impacts of our consumption choices, and to use our power in the market to clean up and protect the environment.

Abi Jabines

Task Force Plastic/Extended Producer Responsibility

Ecowaste Coalition

E-mail: abi.gaia@no-burn.org

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Mommies’ breast friend

We got e-mails from two happy mommies:

Dear Consumerline,

I am happy to hear about the new breastfeeding room at SM Megamall. Since giving birth, I’ve come to value the breastfeeding rooms in all of the big department stores here in Japan where I’ve lived for the past 16 years. I’ve always wondered how my baby and I would cope in Manila when we return for a vacation – I was ready to give up shopping with her.

You are right to promote the benefits of breastfeeding– it is simply easier, more economical and advantageous to both mother and baby. My baby has never been sick, and I am gladdened by research that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Kudos to SM Megamall, Children for Breastfeeding Inc., UNICEF, and to all those involved in this worthy project. Other malls, take note – mothers love buying things for their babies, and guess where all the breastfeeding mommies would go now?

Donna Sanchez-David

Dear Ching,

Read your column today and on behalf of all breastfeeding moms – hooray! I was hostage to using comfort rooms when I was expressing milk whenever I left home and it was a crazy experience – from having to put up with noise, smells, and worse, people who think you’re hogging the cubicle for no reason.

Hope all shopping centers will soon follow suit.

Aneth LiM

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We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com.