The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track planetary extreme, or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😉
Main Topic: Big Cases Against Plastics That Are Ruining Our Health, Climate, and Environment
Dear Diary. After all these years this is the first time that I have written as our main topic of the day a post against the use of plastics since I’ve been very focused on carbon pollution directly warming our climate. Pointing fingers at myself, I’ve been neglectful.
Ever since the 1960s plastics have become the main go to substance for containers and many mechanical components. It seems like we can’t live without them. Just about every foodstuff I buy is wrapped in plastic or resides in a plastic container. At most grocery stores fresh produce is collected in plastic bags, which are conveniently placed in the produce section on rollers. Of course, one could opt to avoid plastic bags on rollers to collect vegies, which will scatter in your cart, but at the checkout groceries are sacked in plastic bags for customer’s convenience. Here one must use their own bags brought into a store to avoid these plastics. Also, one might bring smaller bags to collect veggies.
The use of widespread plastics has been fostered by the oil industry looking to increase markets for their product, so if you can avoid plastics, you will be doing your part to not put money in the coffers of entities that are wreaking the Earth’s climate. Then there is the matter of plastic pollution. Not much of the stuff can be recycled, so it lands in garbage fills. Eventually a lot of it winds up in our oceans, harming wildlife. I’m sure that my readers have heard of the Pacific Ocean garbage patch by now, which is circulating around a huge area of that ocean.
The last straw, which spurred me to write today’s post is science indicating that microplastics are building up in our bodies that could be causing early cancer and other diseases.
Many young people, such as the Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton, are getting cancer, a disturbing increasing trend. I wonder if plastics are partially to blame? For that answer here is a new Newsweek article:
Our Cells’ Batteries Face ‘Significant Threat’ From Microplastics (newsweek.com)
Our Cells’ Batteries Face ‘Significant Threat’ From Microplastics
Published Mar 22, 2024 at 3:05 PM EDTUpdated Mar 22, 2024 at 3:17 PM EDT
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Scientists have issued a warning after a new review study highlighted the “significant threat” posed by microplastics on our body’s cellular powerhouses: the mitochondria.
Microplastics are any plastics smaller than 5 millimeters (0.2 inch) long. They can be found in industrial waste and beauty products but may also form during the degradation of larger pieces of plastic waste. Many of these plastic pieces end up in our oceans, which are estimated to contain between 50 trillion and 75 trillion pieces of micro- and larger plastics, according to UNESCO’s Ocean Literacy Portal.
These plastic particles contain chemicals that can interrupt our body’s natural release of hormones, potentially increasing our risk of reproductive disorders and certain cancers. They can also carry toxins on their surface, like heavy metals.
Over time, these microplastics can break down even further into so-called nanoplastics. The particles are so tiny that they can pass through our intestines and lungs directly into our bloodstream, traveling through our bodies and into vital organs such as the heart and the brain.
An artist’s impression depicts a mitochondrion, which generates the energy necessary to power cells. Dysfunctional mitochondria have been implicated in serious health conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. DR_MICROBE/GETTY
Micro- and nanoplastics have been discovered in human brain and lung tissues, blood samples and even the placenta, raising concerns about the particles’ impact on our overall health. Now a new meta-analysis, published in Cambridge Prisms: Plastics by Cambridge University Press, has combed through 130 studies to demonstrate a clear link between microplastics and the negative effects on the energy-producing powerhouses of our cells.
As well as playing a central role in cellular energy production, our mitochondria are involved in mediating cellular signaling, cell growth and cell death. They thus protect us from the development of diseases like cancer. However, our mitochondria are extremely sensitive and easily damaged, including, it seems, by the presence of micro- and nanoplastics.
“Given the critical role of mitochondria in cellular and organismal health, micro- and nano-plastics pose a significant threat to mitochondrial health and function,” the researchers write.
Dysfunctional mitochondria have been implicated in a wide range of serious health conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease, so this disruption is likely to have wide-ranging impacts.
Most research suggests that damage caused to the mitochondria by these particles results from the buildup of toxic byproducts from the energy production process. Plastics can also interact physically with the mitochondria, causing structural damage and contributing to functional impairment, which can in turn trigger a cascade of cellular responses, from inflammation to cell death.
READ MORE
- Placenta study reveals troubling pervasiveness of microplastics
- Scientists reveal simple trick to reduce microplastics in your tap water
- Chemists warn bottled water 100 times worse for plastic than thought
Emerging research also suggests that micro- and nanoplastics could disrupt the production of mitochondria in our cells, potentially decreasing their numbers and further impairing cellular health and function.
The researchers conclude that more work is required to confirm the negative effects of these particles on the human body across a broader range of plastic types. It is also unclear what dosage is required to see these effects. However, considering the widespread nature of these particles in our environment, this initial evidence raises serious concerns about plastic exposure and human health.
“If more people were aware of the potential threat of MPs and NPs pollution, and the associated increased risk of life-threatening conditions like cancer and the fatal form of dementia, Alzheimer’s, they would almost certainly call for and take more action,” co-authors Dal Yöntem and Müfide Aydoğan Ahbab from Turkey’s Koç University, said in a statement.
“Everybody needs to look at their own use of plastic products. Governments and organisations need to develop policies that reduce plastic waste and promote sustainable alternatives. This collective effort will require cross-disciplinary collaboration encompassing environmental science, toxicology, public health, policymaking, and more.
“This is no longer just about the impact on our planet; we urgently need to find out more about microplastics and nanoplastics to safeguard our own and future generations’ health,” Yöntem and Ahbab said.
About the writer
Pandora Dewan is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health and technology. … read more
More:
Here are more “ET’s” recorded from around the planet the last couple of days, their consequences, and some extreme temperature outlooks, as well as any extreme precipitation reports:
Here is more February and March 2024 climatology:
Here is More Climate News from Monday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)