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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBakelite<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This stuff was useful for a lot of things, such as electric\nand heat insulation. It was made into a\nnumber of different things. Radio and\nphone cases. Kitchenware. Jewelry. \nPipe stems. Children\u2019s toys. Even firearms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But what it was really useful for was showing the world how\nto create totally artificial materials. \nMaterials that were very easily shaped and extremely durable. Oh, and cheap. Let\u2019s not forget cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the next century, humans got very busy manufacturing\nstuff from various plastics. It would be\na challenge for any of you reading this right now to look around and not see\nsomething made with plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was all really cool. \nLots of people got rich, lots of things got cheap. It seemed like a win-win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But no one really gave a thought to biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practically everything natural has something that eats\nit. Dust has mites. Poop has beetles. Humans have big cats and sharks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But nothing on earth knows how to eat plastic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is primarily because plastic has a unique shape to its\nmolecules. There aren\u2019t any natural\nenzymes shaped right to grip plastic and rip it up to eat it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what we see today is something like the beginning of the\nCarboniferous period. Plastics are\npiling up because there\u2019s nothing that knows how to eat it. And they are piling up in the ocean. When a plastic bag from Rewe or Kroger hits\nthe ground in the parking lot, it will eventually be bleached by the sun and\nshredded by wind, feet, tires, and so on. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those little shreds end up being washed into a sewer, or a\nstream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those feed into rivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which feed into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And little bits of plastic look like the traditional food\nthat plankton eats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So those little creatures called plankton eat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And fish eat the plankton. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n And bigger fish eat those fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And eventually, bigger animals eat those fish. Animals like us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, there is so much plastic in the food chain, that we\npeople eat about five grams per week of \u201cmicro\u201d plastic. That\u2019s like eating a credit card or a pen every\nweek. In a month, it\u2019s 21 grams. That\u2019s about as much as a comb, or a clothes\nhangar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, that normally would pass right through us, since we can\u2019t\ndigest the stuff any better than other creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But plastic has some hidden problems. For example, some plastics are shaped just\nright, or emit chemicals that are shaped just right. Just right for what? They\u2019re shaped like natural hormones. And our bodies react to them like normal\nhormones. Which can throw a child\u2019s\ngrowth out of whack. Or induce thyroid\ndisease. Or cause a man to grow\nboobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I think I might have given you enough now to react. Perhaps your reaction is \u201cHoly shit, what do\nI do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, a few things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For starters \u2013 stop buying one-use plastics. Use paper sacks at the supermarket. Don\u2019t buy plastic straws. Recycle everything. Use glass. \nUse paper. Use wood. When you have to use plastic, make sure it\nwill last you. Get wax paper instead of\ncling-film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Vote. Vote for\ncandidates who recognize the problem for what it is. Vote against candidates who deny there is a\nproblem. Viciously mock people who\npretend there isn\u2019t a problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Vote for candidates who support scientific research into\nbio-plastics. Like the research recently\ncompleted by a Mexican scientist who made plastic out of cactus. That plastic degrades in a month, and people\ncan eat it safely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Support research on biological plastic destruction. Just because nothing knows how to eat it\ntoday doesn\u2019t mean there won\u2019t be something next year. Researchers can invent microbes that eat\npractically anything. Who says there isn\u2019t\na possible digestive path for plastics to be found? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speak to others about the problem. Don\u2019t bother talking about the Carboniferous\nera when you do. Just tell them nothing\non earth knows how to eat that stuff. Tell\nthem that Porsche automobiles are long-lasting: two out of every three ever built\nare still out there. Then tell them\nplastic has that beat: every piece of plastic ever made, except for the ones\nthat were incinerated, is still out there. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n And tell them how much of it they ate last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, much like fossil fuels, we have to curb our use\nof plastics. Or change what kind of\nplastics we use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the worst that can happen?\u00a0 A world without a 100-billion cigarette butts entering the food chain every month?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A world where sea turtles aren’t choked to death on plastic sacks? Where birds don’t die caught in beer-can rings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think I can live in a world without those things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n