Humans are exposed to 44 times as much BPA as previously assumed

A new method of measuring human exposure to the potentially toxic chemical calls into question regulatory policy.

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  • Bisphenol A, or BPA, is produced at a massive scale in order to manufacture plastics.
  • It's been linked to a wide variety of negative health effects, but regulatory agencies have mainly left the chemical alone due to its usefulness and the low exposure levels found in humans.
  • However, a new study found that the method that most researchers have used to measure BPA exposure in humans drastically underestimates the actual exposure.
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chemistry environment health human body plastic

Microplastics in the soil point to another potential ecosystem collapse

When these particles are eaten by earthworms, the results are not good.

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  • New research from Anglia Ruskin University states that microplastics in soil are causing earthworms to lose weight.
  • Soil affected by microplastics produces less crop yield due to less productive earthworms and lower pH levels.
  • If this trend continues, our entire agricultural system could be compromised.
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plastic waste environment pollution agriculture farming plastic

Grocery store-bought tea bags release billions of microplastic particles into every cup

Those silky tea bags might be releasing plastics into your digestive system.

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  • A new study at McGill University discovered that many tea bags leach billions of plastic particles into every cup.
  • While the health dangers are unknown, past research uncovered serious problems in other mammals when consuming such particles.
  • Scientists estimate that between five and 13 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into oceans every single year.
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Bio-plastic made from fish scales wins U.K. James Dyson award

Bio-plastics could prove to be a suitable alternative to single-use plastics.

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  • The flexible bio-plastic, called MarinaTex, breaks down within about four to six weeks.
  • One Atlantic cod contains enough waste to produce hundreds of MarinaTex bags.
  • More than half of single-use plastics end up in the world's oceans.
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innovation climate change oceans environment engineering plastic

Why American towns are more selective than ever about what they recycle

An ecological silver bullet is missing the target altogether.

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  • The seeming success of worldwide recycling depended on China's now abandoned role.
  • Municipalities are starting to limit the materials they'll recycle, and landfills are growing.
  • The real solution to our waste problem may lie in our past.
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consumerism global issues infrastructure sanitation sustainability pollution recycling waste plastic