Alchemical Wizard 25 : Microplastics & Phthalates and How We Can Live With Less!
Bottled water sampled from manufacturers around the world is teeming with microplastics. Small plastic particles that are often too small to see. Also Growing evidence links phthalates that are the chemicals used to soften and form plastics to a wide variety of adverse conditions, including hormone disruption, insulin resistance, and reproductive dysfunction.
Let's talk a little about phthalates or phthalate esters. Phthalates are used in a large variety of products, from coatings of pharmaceutical pills and nutritional supplements to viscosity control agents, gelling agents, film formers, stabilizers, lubricants, binders, emulsifying agents and suspending agents. End applications include adhesives and glues, building materials, personal care products, medical devices, detergents and packaging, children's toys, modeling clay, waxes, paints, printing inks and coatings, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles.
Phthalates are also frequently used in soft plastic fishing lures, caulk, paint pigments, and sex toys made of so called jelly rubber. Ya. Phthalates are used in a variety of household applications such as shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, adhesives, floor tiles, food containers and wrappers, and cleaning materials. Personal care items containing phthalates include perfume, eye shadow, moisturizer, nail polish, liquid soap, and hair spray. Phthalates disrupt our Endocrine system. And we have extensively talked about how important that connection is to our overall Biofield physiological health!
Now a little about microplastics. Microplastics measure under 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) in length which is about the size of a sesame seed or smaller and they originate from many sources, such as microbeads that are commonly found in health and beauty products, according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Tests of 250 bottles from 11 bottled water brands revealed microplastics in 93 percent of the samples, with an average of 325 particles per 34 fluid ounces (1 liter) of water.
We humans have produced an estimated 9 billion tons of plastic, Plastic is the most common form of garbage found in the world's oceans, and microplastics are so small that they can evade methods for collecting or filtering plastic trash. Studies have shown that microplastics are present in nearly every environment on Gaia and can be found in the intestinal tracts of many types of sea birds and marine life, according to NOAA.
Microplastics are not a specific kind of plastic, but rather any type of plastic fragment that is less than 5mm in length according to NOAA. They enter natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including clothing and cosmetics, and industrial processes. Think of acrylic carpeting and curtains. Think of how much plastic a car is made out of. Our toothbrush is a polymer made from oil, unless you have a bamboo one. The point is, polymers and phthalates are getting into everything! This is a Global Eco-systemic Epigenetic Health Issue! We are all involved and a part of the Agra-Petro Economic structure which is changing as I write this. We are growing Industrial Hemp in America again. So Many benefits! Plant based Bio degradable unlimited products! More on that in another newsletter/blog.
Two classifications of microplastics currently exist. Primary microplastics are any plastic fragments or particles that are already 5.0mm in size or less before entering the environment. These include microfibers from clothing, microbeads and plastic pellets. Secondary microplastics are microplastics that are created from the degradation of larger plastic products once they enter the environment through natural weathering processes. Such sources of secondary microplastics include water and soda bottles, fishing nets, and plastic bags. Both types are recognized to persist in the environment at high levels, particularly in aquatic and marine ecosystems. But there is good news, Boyan Slat! I have listed a few links to his story about the Ocean Cleanup non-profit project below!
OK, let us consider some of these things that we can do to live with less Microplastics and Phthalates!
1. Please check all the toys you buy for your children or have already bought! The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) has prohibited more than 0.1% of the 8 Phthalates from appearing in, “children’s toys that can be placed in a child’s mouth and child care articles.” The CSPIA defines children’s toys as products designed or intended for play by children 12 years old or younger. Child care articles are products designed to facilitate sleep or feeding of children aged three-years-old or younger, or to help children with sucking or feeding.
2. Read the labels on all your vitamins and supplements. Make sure its Plant derived capsules or coatings.
3. Invest in a reusable glass or stainless steel water bottle like the one I have on my bicycle. People around the world buy a million plastic bottles every minute. In the United States, more than 60 million end up in landfills and incinerators every day.
4. Opt for cloth rather than disposable diapers. Americans discard some 20 billion plastic diapers annually.
5. Bring your favorite mug or travel container to the coffee shop for filling up. I make my own alternative cold coffee with immune boosters and put it into a GT's Kombucha bottle and take it with me.
6. Stock up on reusable grocery bags. I think I have about 9 of them that my Father and I use. Americans use and discard some 102 billion plastic bags annually. Each of these can take 1,000 years to degrade.
7. Pass on prepared frozen foods: The packaging is mostly plastic or cardboard coated with plastic.
8. Don't chew regular chewing gum. It’s pretty much made from plastic.
9. Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters, or invest in a refillable metal lighter.
10. Avoid plastic wrap to cover leftovers, cheeses, and other refrigerated food by using a dish cloth or parchment paper. I am guilty of this one.
11. Cook with cast-iron instead of nonstick pans. Teflon, the most common nonstick surface, is a fluoropolymer plastic.
12. Make your own cleaning products. They’re less toxic, and you can reuse spray bottles like I do, eliminating the need for multiple plastic bottles filled with cleaners. And try to buy Eco friendly biodegradable, parabens, phosphates and phthalates free, and definitely animal free testing products!
13. Decline plastic flatware with your takeout orders. I have two sets of bamboo that I reuse over and over in my sling pack.
14. Buy food in bulk when possible and pack it in your own reusable jars or containers. You’ll save money and limit unnecessary packaging.
15. Bring your own containers for vegetables and fruits to the farmer's markets!
16. Pack your lunch in reusable containers and bags. Skip foods packed in single serving plastic cups.
17. Mix up your own hand salves, lotion bars, and deodorants instead of buying personal care items sold in plastic containers if you can. Raw unrefined virgin Coconut oil is a great base for all of these. Plus you can eat it!
18. Replace your Tupperware with a set of reusable glass storage containers for leftovers.
19. Compost. Compost. Compost your food waste to reduce the number of plastic bags needed to haul it to the landfill.
20. Pick up some Biodegradable plant based storage bags and reuse them like I do. I always have a few with me in my commuting backpack. And I carry two recycled grocery bags in my bicycle panniers. You know me I like to Forage for wild foods when I am out commuting on my bicycle as well! One of the many reasons I commute on a bicycle. You can't do that from inside a car. Just sayin'.
Blessings Everyone as we continue with Holistic frameworks and tools to inspire confidence as we unlock resources to make this Ascension shift more meliorative! We are Sovereign and We are most defiantly Freeing Ourselves! Stay Hydrated with Structured Water my Friends!
Travis Carper - Ascension Health Coach / Alternative & Holistic Health Service https://www.facebook.com/traviscarper888/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/traviscarper888/
Additional References :
Study links microplastics with human health problems, but there's still a lot we don't know - file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/2024-03-links-microplastics-human-health-problems.pdf
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events - https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822
Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks - https://www.sciencenews.org/article/microplastics-human-bodies-health-risks
Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258
Ocean’s plastics offer a floating fortress to a mess of microbes - https://www.sciencenews.org/article/oceans-plastics-offer-floating-fortress-mess-microbes
Human Consumption of Microplastics - https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b01517
Micro- and nano-plastics in edible fruit and vegetables. The first diet risks assessment for the general population - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935120305703?via%3Dihub
Effective uptake of submicrometre plastics by crop plants via a crack-entry mode - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0567-9.epdf?sharing_token=M3xxEzwWbDJW5rrsiGiTrNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OIrfvtLksbchQaHwhgdaJyY3nS-jBcoxSet27FbqM2K55mjmIvMu5Ip717sLSkrbnPtzSj9GlUOaxqjeMtr0ABqiD67EiINpPiSNkpM4qWsZxHCmhTG0c_DgFu9qXtui8d_uX-FVEgJjukLdV8C6MFH98Zh190z0x5lFL_B3ip3Dr75KyySGiJSArSc-AvZnXsFPjKimx9-HpnWYhvPGo1ZboVCJZjEgu2h67uztofOJSqrHQ2fW9DevR7VL9867k%3D&tracking_referrer=www.sciencenews.org
Microplastics in drinking water? Present state of knowledge and open questions - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214799321000333
The Plastic Chemicals Hiding in Your Food / CR tested popular fast foods and supermarket staples for bisphenols and phthalates, which can be harmful to your health. Here's what we found—and how to stay safer - https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/the-plastic-chemicals-hiding-in-your-food-a7358224781/
Hormones and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Low-Dose Effects and Nonmonotonic Dose Responses - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3365860/
I’m a Microplastics Researcher. Here’s How To Limit Their Dangers - https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/02/427161/how-to-limit-microplastics-dangers
Scientists find way to remove polluting microplastics with bacteria - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/apr/28/scientists-find-way-to-remove-polluting-microplastics-with-bacteria
The Ocean Cleanup (One of my favorite projects) - https://theoceancleanup.com/
Also you can follow this brilliant boy and learn his story for more inspiration! - https://theoceancleanup.com/boyan-slat/
Boyan Slat - https://twitter.com/BoyanSlat