Defending our Health from Plastic Contamination with Dr. Roopa Krithivasan, Ep. 71

Forces for Nature

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We all know that plastics have become a problem, but there's even more to it than the litter you see thrown on the ground. Dr. Roopa Krithivasan is the Director of Research for Defend Our Health, an environmental health and justice organization. They recently released a report titled Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle which tracks the impact of plastic bottles on human health and climate change. Turns out, we can experience the hazards of our plastic use well before the items even end up in our homes- and afterward.

Highlights

• What's the untold story about plastics?
• What do we need to consider regarding our summer backyard activities?
• Why is recycling not the answer like we thought?

What YOU Can Do

• Look for refillable options for the items that you buy. And use a refillable water bottle.
• Buy versions of items with minimal packaging (do you really need that cucumber that's wrapped in plastic?).
• Don’t recycle canisters unless you fully rinse them out (ESPECIALLY bottles that contain chemicals or detergents).
• Use laundry sheets instead of bottles of detergent (less plastic use).
• Buy secondhand (to avoid having raw plastic needing to be made).
• Call out companies on social media.
• Write letters or sign petitions to companies and governments about reducing single-use plastics and plastic contamination.

Resources

• Sign Defend Our Health's petition asking Coca-Cola to clean up its plastic.
• Defend Our Health's website
• Learn about plastic alternative, Notpla, with this episode of The Healthy Seas Podcast (Crystal is the host of that show too!)
• In the show's outro, I mentioned my Action for Climate education program. If you know of a school who may want to empower its students with actions that experts are saying are the most impactful at reducing our carbon footprints, then let's connect!

*Since the taping of this episode, Dr. Roopa Krithivasan is no longer the Director of Research for Defend Our Health.

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