Op-ed: HB 2500 will only harm West Virginia’s citizens
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In his book, "The Death of Expertise," Tom Nichols says "the foundational knowledge of the average American is now so low that it has crashed through the floor of 'uninformed,' passed 'misinformed' and is now plummeting to 'aggressively wrong.'" We live in a world where many people think "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
Mediocracy in scientific knowledge transcends the classroom and oozes into our local, state, and federal governments. Our country relies on politicians to formulate policy which will ultimately affect our lives. How can they do this when they themselves have no better grasp on science or research than a fifth grader? The advancement of the new bill HB2500 in West Virginia is a prime example of the conscious ignorance of many of the state's politicians.
The bill says "a local unit of government (county, municipality, or city) may not adopt or enforce an ordinance that regulates the use, disposition, and sale of auxiliary containers. These "auxiliary containers" include: bags, cups, bottles, and other packaging made of cloth, paper, plastic, cardboard, aluminum, glass, or multilayer substrates.
The bill basically makes it impossible for local communities to tackle the enormous problem of plastic pollution in our environment. It also affects citizens' health as they are exposed to the toxic chemicals found in plastics.
The world produces over 400 million tons of plastic a year, and single-use plastic packaging accounts for over 40 percent of that quantity. Yet, only a small fraction, 2 percent, of that plastic packaging is effectively recycled. By 2050 there will be 12 billion tons of waste plastic in landfills and the environment. When plastics enter our environment, they break up into smaller and smaller pieces, termed microplastics. Studies show microplastics are now in our tap water, bottled water, foods, human feces, and can cross the membrane systems of our bodies. The incineration of plastic is not a practical solution as this creates deadly compounds like dioxins and furans.
Scientific studies tell us that plastics leach out toxic plasticizers. One such group of plasticizers are phthalates. Health studies show that pre-natal exposures to these compounds disrupt "the levels of thyroid and sex hormones in pregnant women and offspring, resulting in preterm birth, preeclampsia, infant hypospadias, shorter anogenital distance in newborns as well as growth restrictions in infants and early childhood."
Additionally, the compound used to make take-out foam containers, styrene, has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a human carcinogen. EPA studies show that this compound has become so ubiquitous in our environment that it was present in "100 percent of human fat samples collected from the 48 continental states." It can act as an estrogen in the body and interferes with hormone functions as well as contributes to breast and prostate cancers.
Foods that are hot, oily, acidic, or contain alcohol are especially prone to leaching out the styrene monomer. Like all other plastic polymers, the foam containers formed from polystyrene do not decompose, but instead break up into tiny pieces, enabling them to be ingested by other species and thus places them into our food chains.
Why would our politicians try to hamper local communities from slowing down the enormous amounts of toxic single-use plastics in our communities? Consider that ninety-nine percent of all plastics start their lives as fossil fuels. Plastics are one way to keep the surrounding region connected to a dying industry. Science tells us that from cradle to grave, plastics production plays a major role in climate change. By 2050, plastic may account for 20 percent of the world's total oil consumption.
We marvel at the recent successful landing of the Perseverance on Mars. We depend on scientists to formulate vaccines for COVID-19. Yet, when it comes to using science-based knowledge to enact meaningful decision-making that protects human health and the environment, once again politicians side with industry, and ignore science and the welfare of their constituents.
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Dr. Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D., of Uhrichsville, is an environmental scientist, research chemist, teacher and a member of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.