ReThink Review: Plastic Planet -- Life in the Plastic Age

In the documentary Plastic Planet, director Werner Boote proclaims that just as the world experienced the Ice Age, the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, mankind is currently living in what could only be called the Plastic Age. First created in 1855 by Alexander Parkes, plastic is involved in every facet of modern existence to the point that life without it is unimaginable. Don't believe me? If you do a quick check, I'm willing to bet that you are currently touching at least three pieces of plastic right now. Looking around me, I could reach out and touch at least 50 plastic items (pens, tape dispenser, phone, printer, blank DVDs, etc.) and probably a lot more.

But plastic is not as benign as it appears. Plastic Planet attempts to tell the full story of plastic -- how it's made, where it goes, and how dangerous chemicals found in plastics make their way into the environment, the food chain, and eventually into the human body. Watch my ReThink Review of Plastic Planet and my discussion with Ana Kasparian of the Young Turks about how plastic chemicals enter your body, the effects they can have on the endocrine system, and some ways to keep plastic out of you.

In this video, I have one statistic wrong -- it turns out that it's 92.6 percent of Americans (not all humans) who have detectable amounts of plastic chemicals in their blood and urine, though BPA has been found in the air around the world. Unfortunately, that chemical is bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor that can mimic human hormones and has been linked to cancer, obesity, early puberty, diabetes and heart disease. You may remember a few years back when Nalgene was criticized for using BPA in their hard plastic water bottles favored by outdoorsy types (they've since stopped using it). The US and state governments have been restricting the use of BPA in products designed for babies and very young children, but BPA is still widely used in food packaging, including the linings of cans. To find out more about how countries are restricting BPA, go here.

Of course, the best way to keep plastic out of your body and the environment is to use less of it, especially when it comes to food. I recycled some old plastic containers and bought glass replacements for the two plastic items I use the most -- my juice pitcher and a large measuring cup I use to blend my smoothies. I already don't drink bottled water (nor should you for many reasons), and most of the food I buy doesn't come wrapped in plastic. I often store leftovers in plastic containers (including reused yogurt containers, which probably isn't a good idea), but will be looking into getting glass containers, possibly as a birthday gift (hint).

To find out more about plastic pollution and ways to prevent it from damaging the environment and living things, check out Plastic Pollution Coalition.

To find ways to keep plastic out of your food, visit Life Without Plastic.

For more ReThink Reviews, visit ReThinkReviews.net

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Comments

[Linda Gibbs]

09:07 PM on 02/13/2011

I no longer use trash can liner, plastic water bottles, or plastic utensils for parties. The transition has been much easier than I thought. great article

[Linda Gibbs]

09:05 PM on 02/13/2011

BPA bisphenol A is also in our teeth. Anyone with white crowns, or fillings is biting down everyday and sucking on bisphenol A BPA everyday. No one is talking about it there and that is one place you can't get rid of it even while you are sleeping.

[Jackie Boykin]

08:59 AM on 02/10/2011

It is often overwhelming to reduce plastic, but it needed to be responsible for the planet we use and for our own and it's future. It is not always about what's easy, but about what's right. Each day we should reduce another piece of plastic, we left the stone age because there were other options, we need to leave the plastic age because there are better options.

[Heraklia]

11:29 PM on 02/09/2011

I am trying to gradually reduce the amount of plastic in my household too, but it's hard because you don't have many other options. Even the good options still have drawbacks. For example, I bought glass storage containers for my leftovers and was discouraged to find that they still have plastic lids.

My favorite brand of mayonnaise was packaged for years in glass jars with metal lids. That was perfect, and I always saved the jars to re-use. But now the manufacturer has switched over to plastic jars with plastic lids. Well, at least I can still find mustard, olives, jelly, artichoke hearts and other favorite items in glass jars with metal lids.

Think about the health of your pets too, and stop using plastic food dishes. I use glass pet dishes (inexpensive plates meant for people) and glass water bowls. A big clear glass mixing bowl makes a great water bowl for a large pet, and cereal bowl size for a small pet.

[Nicole Wittig]

04:15 PM on 02/09/2011

I read "The world without us" and this book describes very good how long plastic needs to get absorbed by nature. Absolutely shocking! I try to avoid plastic wherever I can. No plastic bags, only glass bottles and glass bowls, etc.
I hope the difficulty of plastic usage generates a big public awareness. We only have one world and there is no "Reset Button" when we messed it up.

[JanineBrossard]

04:06 PM on 02/09/2011

Let's make the plastic age as short as possible. Plastic is ugly, toxic and an environmental disaster. It's killing or polluting the birds, fish, wildlife and now I hear it is in our bodies. The saddest thing is when new mothers nurse their babies. I've heard that some of the plastic chemicals (and other toxins) accumulate in our fat - which includes the fat put on by pregnant women. When the mother nurses the child for the first few years this accumulation of toxins gets released as this fat breaks down to provide milk. Newborn babies drink milk all day long for at least 6 months. Is this how we really want them to start their new life?

[nellre]

01:31 PM on 02/09/2011

I attempted to limit my use of plastic, and found it impossible.
I can buy my sparkling water in aluminum cans, and I can buy expensive biodegradable materials to use at garbage bags... but couldn't make a dent. We need the manufacturers to limit their usage.

[Jonathan Kim]

12:59 AM on 02/10/2011

Have you ever tried old fashioned seltzer bottles that use CO2 cartridges? A good friend uses those to carbonate his own water and it works great and is cheaper than buying sparkling water at the stores. It also cuts down on fuel use from trucking sparkling water around the world in heavy glass bottles. We can cut down on plastic! Don't give up!

[TracySwingKid]

11:48 AM on 02/09/2011

Was is this film or "Tapped" that said we could halt global warming right now by banning bottled water? Incredible. Just think, if everyone rose up right now and vowed to never buy another bottle of water we would end global warming. That is power.

I propose that we also refuse single-use items.. I carry a travel coffee cup and I refill it when I go to restaurants instead of accepting a cup or glass. I shop for most of my items in the bulk section at Whole Foods and bring my own packaging for those items. If we all refused single-use items just think of the impact it would make. Power to the people.

[giraf]

08:00 AM on 02/09/2011

From the lack of comments it is clear that this is not an issue people gravitate towards. Yet it is the foremost, but mostly invisible, threat to our oceans. Beach lovers may know, yet beaches in the Mediterranean and Far East are so strewn with garbage that the crowds have become used to it and sit among it, in denial or simply unaware. Resort beaches are cleaned for the tourist trade but wander a few hundred yards beyond and piles of plastic can be found. Many artists are working in different ways to draw attention to the issue. When on the beach please help by putting all plastic refuse in garbage containers. I use aged beach plastic as gems and manage to get good money for it...
http://www.itsamanmadeworld.com/

[orcinous]

08:23 PM on 02/09/2011

I cannot imagine people paying the prices you have listed for the things you sell. They are beautiful but it is just plastic junk you can find anywhere.

[giraf]

11:54 AM on 02/17/2011

Thank you and actually I do get those prices just because just plastic junk is not beautiful, but I make it beautiful and that is called art. But if you pick some up yourself and copy what I do then indeed you have yourself a very good deal....