The Dangers of Plastic, Microplastics, and Forever Chemicals

 Hello,

I am going through a personal experiment with plastics, and microplastics (and nanoplastics) as I write this. Three weeks ago, after reading a medical study showing strong correlation between levels of microplastics in those suffering from inflamamtory bowel syndrome, I eliminated the heavy hitters of plastic from my personal use and have seen a dramatic improvement in my symptoms.

What are microplastics?

Why are they a concern?

You have probably heard of 'forever chemicals' and these are in that category. Plastics do not break down into other chemicals. Rather, they shear off to smaller and smaller pieces of the chemical bond until they are nano in side, and that is small enough to get into every part of the human body. The human immune system (and every animal on earth) attacks these but cannot break them down so inflammation results, the immune cell dies, then another tries it again.

We have been running a massive experiment, on the scale of billions of people, for decades by exposing our bodies to these chemicals--shown to cause cancers in lab animals--and now we are seeing the result.

And they knew.

The executives at 3M chemicals knew in the 1960's. 

Here is the ProPublica article on that:

https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Decades ago, [3M scientist] Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people's bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.

...

[when found in horses she asked why]

She found an answer in data from lab rats, which also appeared to have fluorochemicals in their blood. Rats that had more fish meal in their diets, she discovered, tended to have higher levels of PFOS, suggesting that the chemical had spread through the food chain and perhaps through water. In male lab rats, PFOS levels rose with age, indicating that the chemical accumulated in the body. But, curiously, in female rats the levels sometimes fell. Hansen was unsettled when toxicology reports indicated why: Mother rats seemed to be offloading the chemical to their pups. Exposure to PFOS could begin before birth.

Here is the study on inflamattory bowel syndrome:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c03924

Here is a snippet from that piece:

...we conclude that the plastic packaging of drinking water and food and dust exposure are important sources of human exposure to MPs. Furthermore, the positive correlation between fecal MPs and IBD status suggests that MP exposure may be related to the disease process or that IBD exacerbates the retention of MPs. The relative mechanisms deserve further studies.

Be sure to understand correlation does not show causation. We do not yet know the cause of increased microplastics in people who suffer from IBS, however, I have seen an extreme reduction in my symptoms since reducing my intake of MPs.

The Washington Post did a great article about plastics in the air.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/microplastics-air-human-body-organs-spread/

It is a firewall article but worth the read.

Basically, we are breathing in micro and nano plastics constantly.

Here is an article telling you how to reduce (we cannot escape them completely) forever chemicals:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/06/avoid-forever-chemicals-food-water/

Get rid of plastic containers to store food in your refrigerator. Get rid of multi-use plastic bottles, swap to the metal canteen style. Get rid of microwave popcorn, and don't buy non-stick cookware.

I think this issue is going to be an increasing one and massive lawsuits will ensue. 3M is facing an existential crisis of its own making. I for one will line up to sue them given what I've seen from my personal experiment.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS What does this say about capitalism? The free market folks say the market will correct for this. But, the CEOs of 3M who have already taken their millions, while they knew of this and hid the results, are likely never going to hurt in any way from this (some are already dead, their money passed to their estates). How does the free market prevent executives from making decision like this, harmful to the public and the world, when they get away with their money? The answer is, it doesn't. And that points to the limits of capitalism and the need for something else.

Billionaires to Say Thank You To.

 I love the premise of this article.

In short, it is hard to applaud billionaires but these deserve recognition.

Wow.

Yeah, true. When we see Elon Musk shooting his mouth off and throwing away $44B on Twitter, (I won't have anything to do with 'X') it is easy to think less of these poor humans.

Here is the article:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/29/opinions/melinda-gates-mackenzie-scott-philanthropy-filipovic/index.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

There is something irrefutably broken about a global system in which a small number of people are able to amass staggering amounts of wealth, a huge number struggle to simply survive (and many don’t) and then we applaud those among the uber-wealthy who bestow some of their largess on the suffering masses.

But this is the global system we do have and, within it, some billionaires are behaving much more generously and ethically than others. 

The opinion article goes on to talk about the wives of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos as exemplars, as well as Warren Buffett. It should be thought-provoking.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

AI Coming for Professional Jobs

 Coming?

Recent reports show it is already happening but we can't measure the impact yet. Those benefitting, meaning the money interest behind it, will minimize the numbers to ensure complacency. Those worried about it might inflate the numbers through ignorance.

What happens next?

Here is a little story that wonders about that, with an informed view based on past experience. It has a paywall.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/04/29/ai-professional-class-low-skill-jobs/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

As a Bloomberg News headline put it in February, “AI Is Driving More Layoffs Than Companies Want to Admit.” And though the numbers aren’t enormous — Bloomberg cites one source that found 4,600 AI-related layoffs during the previous nine months — that’s a pretty big number considering that ChatGPT was released to the public only in November 2022. It’s going to get bigger still.

...

But if so, we are also likely to see a revolt of the educated people who are losing ground, similar to the revolt that led the working class to embrace protectionism — and Donald Trump. Or at least that’s how it seems to me when I try to imagine the upper middle class offering their own kids the advice they’ve so liberally dispensed to working-class men: “I’m sorry, but the jobs your parents had aren’t going to be around, and it’s time to face reality and look for steady work in food service or a warehouse.”

“I’d be fine with that!” some educated parent will inevitably write me, “as long as they have good health insurance and a strong social safety net.” I applaud those public-minded people, but, realistically, I doubt they’re the majority. For most upper-middle-class families, I expect there will be a lot of outrage and fear, and demands that the government do something to help them maintain their position and pass what they have onto their children.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS The world's richest man recently declared all work will be eliminated for AI.