Plastic products are made with an array of toxic chemicals—different chemicals depending on the final function of the plastic. Sure, plastics are convenient, there is no doubt. But I have to say, we’ve gone overboard with our dependence on plastic products.
A recent study has found that one-third of plastic products tested released toxic substances. The test they did was simple—they soaked 83 randomly selected plastic items in pure water for 1 to 3 days. Then, they were able to test for acute toxicity by adding water fleas to the water. As it turned out, one-third of those plastic products released chemicals that were acutely toxic to the fleas.
This was an eye-opener, because think about how little it took to leach chemicals off these plastics. All it took was pure water! Think about that bottle of water you drink every day. Think about that baby bath, filled with plastic toys. Think about that swimming pool. In fact, five out of 13 children’s products, including bath toys and inflatable armbands, were found to release toxins.
Plastics are everywhere, and they’re almost impossible to avoid. But if you can take measures to reduce your exposure and lessen the amount of plastics you use, you’ll be exposed to fewer chemicals. Obviously from this study, it doesn’t take much for toxins from plastic to be released.