A friend of mine recently told me about a documentary that she watched on “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” a swirling collection of plastic and debris in the Pacific Ocean, estimated to be twice the size of Texas.
This phenomenon, also known as “Plastic Soup” and “Trash Island” is located in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre which is a current that circulates between the U.S. and Asia, picking up plastic and debris, and pulling it to the center. The concentration of debris is located approximately 1000 miles west of San Francisco, and 1000 miles North of Hawaii.
Historically, debris caught in the North Pacific Gyre would eventually biodegrade, however, due to advances in plastic production, the debris now breaks up into tiny molecules of plastic which are threatening oceanic and human life. Plastic products are made of plastic polymers which are turned into tiny pellets, then melted to form products. As plastics degrade in the ocean, these products return to a pellet state, and continue to break apart until they are tiny molecules, though they are still very dangerous due to compound known as Bisphenol A.
Bisphenol A is a building block of several important polymers and polymer additives, which has been suspected to be hazardous to humans in the 1930’s, and has recently become controversial due to the way it mimics estrogen, possibly inducing hormonal responses in living beings. A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group between the years of 1997 and 2007 showed that the effects of low doses of Bisphenol A in mice and rats showed permanent changes to the genital tract, signs of early puberty, a decline in testicular testosterone, increased sensitivity to prostate and breast cancer, decreased mental behaviors, and the reversal of normal sex differences in brain structure and behavior.
“Bisphenol A has been known to leach from the plastic lining of canned foods and, to a lesser degree, polycarbonate plastics that are cleaned with harsh detergents or used to contain acidic or high-temperature liquids. Studies by the CDC found bisphenol A in the urine of 95% of adults sampled in 1988-1994[51] and in 93% of children and adults tested in 2003-04. Almost all exposure is through diet, and infants fed with liquid formula are among the most exposed. Infants fed canned formula with polycarbonate bottles can consume quantities of bisphenol A up to 13 µg/kg/day, while the most sensitive animal studies show effects at much lower concentrations. Debate continues on what is the safe limit of this compound.
Within the United States, an exposure of up to 50 µg/kg/day (50 ppb/day) is considered safe by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Maida Galvez, a pediatrician studying BPA, recommends parents stay away from bottles containing the chemical and says, “We know the animal studies raise concerns, but there aren’t human studies showing effects yet … so, when we don’t have the evidence, what we recommend is that parents try to err on the side of caution.”
Plastic in the ocean is not good for anyone, including marine life. The large pieces of plastic and debris are harming marine life, and even the degraded pieces containing Bisphenol A are being consumed by fish and other oceanic creatures, some of which we end up eating.
VBT.tv has created an awesome documentary consisting of 12 short episodes, depicting a trip out to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which can be watched below. BentoPop will also begin posting plastic alternative products, so we can try to limit our plastic waste! Enjoy.
Episode 1:
Episode 2:
Episode 3:
Episode 4:
Episode 5:
Episode 6:
Episode 7:
Episode 8:
Episode 9:
Episode 10:
Episode 11:
Episode 12:
Bonus Footage About Bisphenol A:
