Plastic pollution is one of our greatest environmental threats. This PBS NewsHour special is a must-watch for all concerned.
activist360 comes across articles and commentaries on plastic and the harm that it is doing to us and our planet on a daily basis. We are increasingly alarmed and concerned. We encourage our visitors to learn all they can and encourage others to do the same.
By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. It’s an environmental crisis that’s been in the making for nearly 70 years. Plastic pollution is now considered one of the largest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally.
In “The Plastic Problem: PBS NewsHour Presents”, Amna Nawaz and her PBS NewsHour colleagues look at this now ubiquitous material and how it’s impacting the world, why it’s become so prevalent, what’s being done to mitigate its use, and what potential alternatives or solutions are out there. This hour-long program travels from Boston to Seattle, Costa Rica to Easter Island to bring the global scale of the problem to light.
Is it true that lawn chemicals can cause canine cancer, and if so, how can I protect my dog? –Bill W., Ithaca, NY
Unfortunately,
the answer may very well be yes. A 2012 study published in the peer-reviewed
scientific journal, Environmental Research, found that exposure to
certain lawn care products, such as the nearly ubiquitous herbicide
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2 4-D for short), increases dogs’ chances of developing
Canine Malignant Lymphoma (CML) by 70 percent. When ingested repeatedly, 2 4-D
acts as an endocrine disruptor, mutating a dog’s white blood cell count
allowing malignant tumor cells to replicate unchecked. While obviously
worrisome for dogs and those of us who love them, the implications for people
aren’t good either, given the similarities between the onset of CML in canines
and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans.
Maybe you shouldn’t let your dog run free at the park — or in your neighbor’s yard — if carcinogenic chemicals are used on the lawn. Credit: Brett Sayles, Pexels.
A 2013
study in another peer-reviewed journal, Science of the Total Environment,
found that “exposure to herbicide-treated lawns has been associated with
significantly higher bladder cancer risk in dogs.” Certain breeds of dogs
(terriers, beagles, sheep dogs) are at greater risk, but needless to say lots
of 2 4-D or other synthetic lawn chemicals like glyphosate (the active
ingredient in RoundUp) aren’t good for dogs of any stripe. “A strong
justification for the work was that dogs may serve as sentinels for potentially
harmful environmental exposures in humans,” report the researchers behind the
bladder cancer study.
What
can you do to help prevent more dogs (and humans) from getting sick? For
starters, avoid using lawn care chemicals around your home. And if you hire or
manage someone else to take care of your yard, make sure they are not using 2
4-D, glyphosate or any other potentially hazardous pesticides, herbicides or
fertilizers. Getting rid of your lawn altogether and replacing it with
regionally adapted native plants that don’t need fertilizers or pesticides to
thrive is another way to protect dogs from chemicals while saving yourself the
trouble of having to mow the lawn.
If you
can’t live without a grassy green lawn and can’t bear to just let it go wild,
opt for all-natural, organic inputs. For instance, organic compost distributed
across your lawn with a shovel in a thin layer can do just as well or better at
nourishing your grass as chemical fertilizers. For weed control (beyond
good-old hand-pulling), a great all-natural alternative to RoundUp is BurnOut,
which uses the power of food-grade vinegar and clove oil instead of glyphosate
to eradicate unwanted plants.
As for
protecting your dog while out on a walk, steer clear of private lawns, even if
you have to leash Fido to keep him out of neighbors’ yards. And the days of
letting your dog run free in parks where your municipality may use questionable
landscaping chemicals are over now that we know the potential consequences.
Fortunately, many enlightened cities and towns have taken steps to rid their
publicly accessible lands of such hazardous treatments. But you won’t know
unless you ask, so contact your local parks department to find out exactly what
they’re spraying. And if you don’t like the answer, rally other dog owners to
help get it changed, for dogs’ sake.
The French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe suffer the effects of a toxic chemical. Ninety-five (95%) of the population of Guadalupe and ninety-two (92%) of the people in Martinique are contaminated with the insecticide Chlordecone (called Kepone). Local adult residents have traces of the chemical in their blood.
Chlordecone is a chlorinated chemical similar to DDT and an endocrine disruptor. It can interfere with hormones and cause disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes it as “potentially carcinogenic.”
The pesticide is known to cause cancer. Large tracts of soil are infected, as are rivers and coastal waters.
The US banned Kepone in 1975 after several hundred workers suffered illness after contamination at a factory in Hopewell, Virginia. These French Islands continued using Kepone until a ban in1993.
French lawmakers designated the state as the main culprit. French President Emmanuel Macron recently called it an “environmental scandal” and said the state “must take responsibility.”
Tourists view these islands as idyllic sun, sea, and sand destinations. However, few visitors are aware of the chronic pollution problem.
