I study microplastics. 4 things help reduce the exposure of my children.

This trial also filed is based on a conversation with Tracey Woodruff, director of the program on reproductive health and the environment of the University of California in San Francisco. She studies how microplastics and toxic chemicals Impact fertility and development of the child. The above was published for duration and clarity.

I have been working on reducing plastic in my life for a long time. I would say it is an iterative process, instead of trying to attack everything at the same time.

The microplastics are in the air, they are in food and they are in the water. You can breathe them, eat them and chemicals can also absorb your skin.

When my children were babies, science had not caught up. I used plastic baby bottles. Now I would recommend glass.

It was before many scientists and really important sciences spoke: Oh Wow, you know, there are chemicals in these plastics that could harm my child’s development.

I studied the worrying health risks of microplastics

I co-wrote a systematic review of studies on microplastics and three different types of health effects: reproduction, respiratory, then effects on the intestine and colon.

We found that microplastics were suspected of increasing the risk of effects on procreation health, especially for sperm effects, as well as chronic inflammation and the potential to increase the risk of lung and colon cancer. It is not known that microplastics contribute to these health problems, but it is suspected.

Then there are the chemicals used in plastic – such as phthalates, which can disrupt testosterone levels and affect fetal development.

Plastic production should triple by 2060. There is certainly enough evidence to take measures to avoid future damage.

None of the following advice is 100%, but it is the way I try to reduce the plastic footprint of my family.

Cook at home

We eat a lot of food prepared inside our house. We make food with a lot of fresh and organic fruits and vegetables for two reasons.

The first is that we know that the chemicals and microplastics related to plastic can come from the packaging that mocks food. It is therefore really important to eat foods that are not fast food or packaged foods.

The second part is that nutrition improves your resilience for the toxic effects of microplastics or other toxic chemicals linked. Basically, it will be more difficult for toxic chemicals to have an impact on you for example, for example, if you eat a lot of ultra-adjustment food.

This is really your basic risk status. Do you start as a healthier person? Or do you start as a person who has more underlying health problems?

(It is not really linked to microplastics, but we focus on organic purchase, because science is clear that consumption of a biological diet can reduce your exposure to pesticides.)

Keep the plastic out of the microwave and dishwasher

We have no food in the plastic microwave.

We also do not use the dishwasher pods, as these are packed in plastic. We used to wash plastic stuff like containers and covers in the dishwasher, but we do it by hand now.

It is fundamentally the same as microwave. The heat causes the degradation of plastic and is very hot in your dishwasher.

Cleaning house

Many chemicals and microplastics drag in dust.

We use a vacuum with a HEPA filter, then damp mop and dust with a microfiber cloth. These are things that do not arouse dust when you clean. These are excellent ways to reduce exposure to dust.

We probably push once a week. I would say that vacuum cleaner and cleaning occur every two weeks.

This is also why we remove our shoes before entering the house – and not to follow the microplastics from the outside. One of the contributors to microplastics pollution is car tires, so it will be outside and you can follow them on your feet. There is also degrading plastic of garbage. We know that removing your shoes can help you.

Save and exchange plastic clothes

There is a lot of plastic used in clothing. So try to slowly switch to natural materials such as cotton and linen as opposed to polyester and radiation.

I also do a lot of savings alone and with my daughter. This is also another way of reducing plastics, it is simply to reduce your quantity of purchase of news – which, I know, is difficult. If your clothes are polyester or radiation materials and you buy them, they have already been made. It reduces the need to make another plastic garment and put it in the environment.

I do not make product recommendations, but there are now websites that you can use, such as Thredup. I love the thredup.

Everything I’m doing at the moment is actually distant, so there you go. And I think some are mainly cotton.

It took me a while to build these habits

I did not go out and I do it all at the same time, but slowly over time. This did not happen overnight. I want to highlight this point. It happens over time.

Finally, I could replace things or get things, and it’s just a little less impact on the planet and my health.

I also mean that people should not feel guilty of their chemical exhibitions. I mean, they should do what they can be healthy and reduce them, but companies have pushed all these products. Even if you try to do the right thing, you cannot control where they are used or other people who use them. They go out in the environment, and we exposed ourselves in so many places. I mean, think of car tires. We have no control about it.

The real challenge, and the culprit, is that we really need the government to identify and remove these toxic chemicals from the products before coming to us and exposing us.