I Study Microplastics. 4 Things Help Reduce My Kids’ Exposos. – ryan

This as-told-tos Essay is basic on a conversation with Tracey Woodruff, the Director of the Program on Reproductive Health & the Environment at the University of California, San Francisco. She Studies How Microplastics and Toxic Chemicals Impact Fertility and Child Development. The Below has Been Edited for Length and Clarity.

I’ve been working on plastic reduction in my life for a long time. I WOULD SAY ITHERATIVE PROCESS, INSTALE TO TRYING TO ATTAK IT AT ONE TIME.

Microplastics are in the air, they’re in food, and they’re in water. You can breathe say, eat say, and chemicals on say can Also absorb into your skin.

When My Kids Were Babies, Science Had Not Caught Up. I Used Plastic Baby Bottles. Now, I Wold Recommend Glass.

This was a lot of a lot of really imported scientists and science were talking about: oh wow, you know, there’s chemicals in these plastics that coulued be hurting the development of my child.

I’ve Studied the Concerning Health Risks of Microplastics

I CO-AUTHORED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF STUDIES ON MICROPLASTICS AND THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF HEALTH EFFECTS: Reproductive, respiratory, and then effecs on the gut and colon.

We found that microplastics were suspects to increes the risk of reproductive Health Effects, Particularly for Effects on Sperm, as well as Chronic Inflammation and the Potential to Increase the Lung and Colon Cancer. IT’S NOT KNOWN THAT MICROPLASTICS CONTRRIBUTE TO THECE HEALTH PROBLEMS, but it’s SUSPECTED.

Then there are the chemicals use in plastic – like phthalates, which can disruption testosterone levels and affect fetal development.

Plastic Production is Project to Triple by 2060. There is Certainly Enough Evidence to Take Action to Prevent Future Harms.

None of the following tips are 100%, but they how how I’m try to love my family’s plastic footprint.

Cooking at Home

We eat a lot of food prepared inside our home. We make food with lots of Fresh, Organic Fruits and Vegetables for Two Reasons.

One is we know that plastic-relay chemicals and microplastics can come from Packaging that leeches into food. So it’s’ really imported to eat food that not fast food or packaged food.

The Second Part is that Nutrition Improves Your Resiliance to the Toxic Effects of Microplastics or Other Related toxic Chemicals. Basically, it is going to be harder for toxic chemicals to impact you compared to, for example, if you’re eating a tear of ultra-processed food.

IT’S REALLY ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND RISK STATUS. Are you starting off as a healthier person? Or are you starting off as a person who has more underlying Health Conditions?

(This is not really microplastic related, but we focus on Buying organic, Because the science is clear that eating an organic diets can reduse your expans to pesticides.)

Keeping Plastic Out of the Microwave and Dishwasher

We don’t microwave food in plastic.

We Also don’t use Dishwashing pods, Because Those are Packaged in Plastic. We used to have plastic stove like containers and lids in the Dishwasher, but we do it by hand now.

It ‘Basically the Same Thing As the Microwave. Heat Causes Degradation of the Plastic Material, and It ‘Super Hot in Your Dishwasher.

Cleaning House

A lot of chemicals and microplastics hang out in dust.

We use a vacuum with a hepa filter, and then wet mop and dust with a microfiber cloth. Those are things that don’t styir up the dust you you’re cleaning. Those are great Ways to Lower expans to dust.

WE PROBABLY DUST ONCE A Week. I WOULD SAY VACUUMING AND MOPPING HAPPENSE EVERY OTHER WEEK.

That’s Also why we took ours shoes off before we come into the house – swimming tracking microplastics in from outside. One of the Contributors to Microplastics pollution is car tire, so that’s going to be outside and you can track around on your feet. There’s Also Degrading Plastic From Garbage. We know that taking your shoes off can Help.

Thrifting and Swapping Out Plastic Clothes

There’s a lot of plastic use in Clothes. SO TRY AND SLOWLY SWITCH OVER TO NATURAL MATERIALS LIKE COTTON AND LINEN AS OPPOsed to Polyester and Rayon.

I ALSO DO A LOT OF THRIFTING ALONE AND WITH MY DAGHTER. That’s another way to reduce plastics too, is just to reduce your amount of Purchasing New – Which I Know Is Hard. If your clothes are polyester or rayon materials, and you’re buying saying, then they already been made. It reduces the need to make another plastic garment and put it into the Environment.

I do’t do product endorsents, but there are websites now that you can use, like thredup. I love thredup.

Everything I’m Right Right Now Is Actually Thrifted, SO THERE YOU GO. And I think some of it’s Mostly Cotton.

It took me to build these habits

I didn’t go out and would this all at ance, but slowly over time. IT DIDN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. I want to emphasize that point. IT HAPPENS Over time.

Eventually, i Could Replace Things or Get Things, and it just is a little less impact on the planet and my health.

I ALSO WANT TO SAY People Should not Feel Guilty About Their Chemical Expides. I mean, they should what they can be to be healthy and to reduce, but companies have flush all these products. This is if you’re try to do the right Thing, you can’t control where’re used or other people using say. They’re getting out and about in the Environment, and we’re getting exposed to say in so many places. I Mean, Think of Car Tire. We don’t have control over.

The Real Challenge, and the Culprit, is that we really need the government to identify and remove to be toxic chemicals from products before they come into the house and expose us.