Technological advancement brought us plastics, widely used today in everything from clothing to packaging, transportation and more. We are exposed to plastics nearly every waking moment of our lives. We hail it as one of the greatest inventions, a product that makes daily living easier, food fresher for longer and more. Recent reports have begun to show that our beloved plastic has a dark side, however.

The making of plastic is something more of us never think about. After all, what do we care what goes into our tupperware, our bottles, our disposable goods and other tools of daily life, as long as they work. If recently released studies about the effects on plastics on humans and the environment can be believed, we should care. In fact it may need to move to the top five on our “green” priority list.

According to these studies, plastic is responsible for everything from early puberty and adult onset health problems to environmental issues like the demise of wildlife. These problems with human health not only effect this generation, they effect the next as well. It seems that the toxins used in making plastic that cause hormone changes like early puberty, urethra deformities, sexual dysfunction, increased cancer rates and other issues linger. Because the hormones used to make plastic mimics human hormone, once they are in our system they stay there to be passed along to our children.

With a laundry list of potential problems being faced by the planet, including climate changes and the depletion of non-renewable resources like fossil fuels and water, adding one more to the list seems a recipe for despair. This news about plastics is one we can work to change, however. By lowering our use of them and changing how we make them, as well as how we dispose of them, we can start to turn the tide of genetic and environmental problems caused by plastics (a constant example of the environmental impact of plastic is the Great Pacific Garpage Patch - a floating island of plastic refuse larger than Texas that has choked the life out of the ocean underneath it).

Much of the findings on plastics and how the ingredients effect humans are over my head. Discover published a nice synopsis of the various studies, which you can read here. In spite of the gap in knowledge faced by many when trying to understand the implications of the studies, its important to follow the research. This issue will have an effect on future generations, and right now we have no clear cut ideas for a solution (it’s a bit too late to say “stop using plastic”).

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