The Problem with Plastics

From the Fall 2009 Issue

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<p>I thought you would be interested in this article from <em>environment: YALE</em> magazine, the Journal of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.<br />
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<h3 style="color:#666;">The Problem with Plastics</h3>
<em><p>By Bruce Fellman
</p></em><p><span class="dropcap">I</span>n his undergraduate course on environmental politics and law, John Wargo, Ph.D. ’84, likes to issue a challenge to his nearly 200 students: go one week—just one week—without exposure to plastics. “No one can do it,” says Wargo, professor of environmental policy, political science and risk analysis at F&ES. A little red-faced, he admits, “and neither can I. Plastics are extraordinarily pervasive and really hard to escape from. They’ve crept into our lives in millions of ways.” </p><p>In his book, <i>Green Intelligence: Creating Environments That Protect Human Health</i>, which was published in August by Yale University Press, Wargo explores the health dangers wrought by some of the best-known chemicals, such as DDT, mercury and strontium-90, which have been released deliberately or inadvertently. Toward the end of the book, he also includes a lengthy chapter on plastics, calling their impact on our lives “the quiet revolution.” </p> <div class="callout"><i>“We have a huge potential problem here, and it’s one that our regulatory agencies are not prepared to handle.”</i> R. Thomas Zoeller</div> <p>There’s no doubt that products made from plastic have considerable benefits, from safe food storage and water delivery to increases in energy efficiency and durability. But Wargo, whose career has been dedicated to investigating the too-often-underappreciated effects of chemicals on women and children—work that helped inspire the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996—shows that a significant element of disquiet has crept into that revolution. From birth to death, almost all of us now carry molecules that started off in plastics…

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The Problem with Plastics

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