44 | March 2022
P
arents are bombarded with daily information about
potential harm to their growing children.
The health ramifications of plastics, found in our
air and food, were recently pushed to the foreground
with the report "The Release of Novel Entities." It contained a
specific drill down on plastics and untested chemicals.
In 2009, Johan Rockström, the founding director of the
Stockholm Resilience Center (SRC), organized a global
team of scientists to delineate "boundaries for a safe oper-
ating space for humanity" on Earth. The goal was to draw
parameters around harmful actions and then bring about
solutions to prevent "catastrophic environmental harm"
from occurring. They came up with the road map "Plane-
tary Boundaries," a framework of nine interrelated issues
caused by human activity that had put the planet at risk.
SRC called this new period, where humans play an out-
size role in shaping the biosphere, the Anthropocene era.
Now, "novel entities" are out of control.
So, what exactly are "novel entities"? Microplastics and
plastic pollution combined with 350,000 synthetic chemicals
developed by various industries. Included are highly toxic
PCBs, POPs, pesticides, and even some antibiotics. Only
a tiny percentage of those new chemical formulations have
been vetted for safety.
Besides seeing plastic bags caught in trees or traveling
down our streets like tumbleweed, plastic in one form or
another is at the lowest depths in our oceans. It's in the
stomachs of fish (who identify them as food), deep-sea or-
ganisms, and tap water from countries worldwide.
The study showed that since 1950, there had been an
increase of 50 times in chemical production. Projected esti-
mates get even higher by 2050, demonstrating the changes
that have occurred within the life span of a baby boomer.
Many chemicals are new in a "geological sense," which
could have significant "impacts that threaten the integrity of
Earth system processes."
Beyond Pesticides explained in July 2021 that "between
340,000 and 900,000 premature deaths each year can be
linked to air pollution caused by the release of volatile or-
ganic compounds, such as pesticides, paints, and cleaning
agents." One of the authors stated that beyond coal-fired
plant emissions and transportation pollution:
Chemicals in Plastics and Kids Don't Mix
By Marcia G. Yerman
