Starch-based bioplastic may be as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, study finds
Starch-based bioplastic may be as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, study finds
Bioplastics, heralded for supposedly breaking down more quickly, can cause similar health problems to other plastics
Starch-based bioplastic that is said to be biodegradable and sustainable is potentially as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, and can cause similar health problems, new peer-reviewed research finds.
Bioplastics have been heralded as the future of plastic because it breaks down quicker than petroleum-based plastic, and is often made from plant-based material such as corn starch, rice starch or sugar.
The material is often used in fast fashion clothing, wet wipes, straws, cutlery and a range of other products. The new research found damage to organs, changes to the metabolism, gut microbe imbalances that can lead to cardiovascular disease, and changes to glucose levels, among other health issues.
The authors say their study is the first to confirm “adverse effects of long-term exposure” in mice.
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Ok so what do we want? Toxic plastics that last forever or toxic plastics that break down in the environment after 3-5 years?
Because that is the gambit here. We're not going going to just get rid of plastics altogether.
Also, this article is setting off my BS meter by claiming plastics contain 16,000 toxic substances but not showing how much of that is realistically possible to get into your body. The dose makes the poison!
"This spider contains 1300 toxic substances—one of which will kill you if even a tiny droplet gets in your blood! And these spiders are out in the environment!"
I smell petroleum company money.
Less plastic is what I want. The world is addicted and we need safe alternatives. Reduce and reuse come before recycle for a reason.
Plastic is useful in a lot of applications, but does it really need to be in everything from our clothes to our shopping bags to our bodies?
I think “no plastics” is actually what we want
Or maybe qualify that as "minimal plastics".
Are there any good alternatives though?
wood/paper, glass, metal.
For some use-cases, sure. But so many products today are only affordable (or even possible) because of plastic.
How would you make an affordable computer, for example, without plastic?
Okay, no more cheap computer sorry. You don't just get to destroy the planet to save a few bucks
There are many medically necessary items that can't be replaced by anything but some form of plastic.
That was just one example of many
Don't forget hemp
And bamboo.
Hm, depends how 'breaking down' is defined. Because it usually doesn't mean there's no toxic substance left. Instead, plastic degradation often IS the formation of micro or nano plastics. In this case, it's irrelevant how long this process takes without knowing how long it takes until there's no toxicity left.
Also, if something is described as 'biodegradable', I wouldn't blame a consumer for composting it. And if it actually poisons the compost, that's net harm. So, it'd be actively harmful green washing.
It is crucially relevant how long decay takes. That's why there's microplastics in your food and your body. Because plastic does not degrade for hundreds of years. Fucking Obviously, that is the single most important aspect of it.
Unfortunately, most bioplastics are more like 300 years, which yes, is significantly better than 300 thousand years, and with industrial compost heaters you can push those 300 years down. But I've also had to come to terms that my failed 3D prints will likely outlive me (although I do collect the waste to hopefully recycle someday). I don't print that much compared to most in the hobby, but it is something I consider before I print things.
That said, I'm not going to let perfect be the enemy of good, and the biodegradability of bioplastics is still exponentially better than petroleum plastic.