Judge at US Government (retired); currently Adjunct Professor of Criminal Law, Grand Canyon University
Remember the Good Ol’ Days When Wood Was Wood? by Matthew Little Epoch Health Senior Editor I am fond of wood, glass, wool, brass, and other natural materials. There is something so luxurious and honest about them in a world drowning in plastic. Not that plastic doesn’t serve its uses. It’s cheap, easy to work with, and plentiful. We can use plastic to make everything from blankets to baking sheets. Its versatility has been enhanced with thousands of chemicals to give it attributes like flexibility, heat resistance, and structural integrity. Unfortunately, plastic has become a plague of sorts. Among other things, it exposes us to chemicals that interfere with our hormones. Image A study published in Environmental Science & Technology earlier this year found even our plastic food packaging has hormone-disrupting chemicals and puts us at risk of developmental and reproductive issues, not to mention hormone-related cancers. Coincidentally, two hormone-related cancers, breast cancer and prostate cancer, are the most prevalent cancers for women and men respectively. Another issue is that plastic breaks down into particles small enough to be inhaled and ingested without our awareness. That means even plastic that has never touched our food or water can end up in our bodies. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, microplastics were found in the blocked arteries of over half the people in a study published in March (150 out of 304 people). These people were 4.5 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or die in the following three years that researchers monitored them. And the above problems are becoming more severe due to the rapidly rising volume of plastic in the world today. Australian researchers estimate that many people could be eating the equivalent of a credit card in plastic each week. We often buy things second-hand to get higher-quality items at a cheaper price, whether that be winter clothing or real-wood flooring. If we need something, I set a reminder on our local buy and sell website to alert me if something comes up. I can include the materials I prefer: brass lamp, teak table, leather chair. There is something of the time held in these better-made goods. Something authentic. They do more than hold their value, they hold something of the people of their era. People had fewer things back then, but better things. I cringe at the thought that people will buy particle board furniture with a plastic coating to make it look like wood while solid oak bedroom sets go to the dump because they are “dated.” The benefits of our plastic floors (vinyl), blankets (microfiber), and cookware coatings (Teflon) are that they are convenient and cheap to buy, but they cost us as well. As the things we cook with, sit on, wear, and fill our homes with become cheaper, and more disposable and unnatural, I worry we lose touch with the very idea of enduring quality and authenticity.