It might be time to think twice before picking up a plastic-wrapped apple or a single-use to-go bottle from your local supermarket. The new study brings bad news, adding a third dimension to the tug-of-war between evolving research and the urgency of finding treatments for serious diseases such as cancer: the impact of man-made disasters.
More than 400 chemicals in everyday plastics have been linked to breast cancer, the report says, and this may be a factor in the dramatic increase in breast cancer cases in women under 50. This leads to the question that there is.
This update also moves away from the traditional situation in which medical breakthroughs and treatments were placed squarely on the shoulders of researchers, scientists, and doctors. Instead, separate partners now make up the trio, rather than the silent partner.
But are we, as a people, going to stop cherry-picking our way in the health care debate and make social responsibility a non-negotiable item?The numbers are in. The American Cancer Society says breast cancer increases most rapidly before women reach their 50s.
Debating about plastics is like unrolling a ball of wool because it’s not just about what you see. Some flagged chemicals, such as PFA, phthalates, and parabens, are household names and can be found outside of the usual suspects like shampoo and nonstick frying pans. Our daily exposure to food packaging, kitchen utensils, and personal care products are like the layers of a pyramid. For some, this study unfortunately leans toward the oncologist’s office.
Read more by Jyotsna Mohan
Potential medical breakthroughs
Note: In the age of TikTok and Instagram Reels, even unverified medical advice is trending, but I’m still cautious and old school. These findings are being generously shared by doctors, including oncologists, and bring even more worrying news for women. They are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with cancer before age 50.
But reports of potential medical advances from experimental mRNA cancer vaccines have garnered just as much attention as derision. The reaction to dismiss this as another “big pharma” conspiracy is not unlike that of the coronavirus lobby.
As a woman with a family history of breast cancer, I can say that when breast cancer occurs close to home, it recalibrates your perspective. It strengthens trust in science, but also comes with the recognition that many other factors play supporting roles.
Tackling the cancer epidemic requires harmonized research, pre-emptive vaccines as in the case of cervical cancer, and aggressive diagnostics. Importantly, women should not be allowed to fall through the cracks, whether they are marginalized, poor, or belong to developing countries with limited access to health care. .
Plastic is everywhere, and there is no denying that it has revolutionized everyday life, including the kitchen and industrial production. Consciously or unconsciously, it has permeated our lifestyle, and it is much easier to maintain the status quo than to pry Pandora’s box from the shelves and public conscience.
The image of a young whale starving to death with about 90 pounds of plastic in its body moves us, but not enough to make us ponder how it could have ingested so much plastic in the wide, blue ocean. there is no.
Get exclusive content on Gulf News WhatsApp channel
absence of regulation
A database of chemicals in plastics manufacturing – the first of its kind – is now publicly available. PlastChem’s report focuses on 3,600 toxic but unregulated chemicals and points out a key loophole: a lack of risk details. In the wake of these serious warnings, plastic products need to be fully disclosed, much like ingredient lists on food covers.
The outlook for plastics falls into the same category as India’s pollution crisis. In both cases, a lack of political will and influential lobbies have combined to thwart attempts to regulate their respective industries. The reality is that we’re at a point where banning plastic bags is environmentally friendly, but it overlooks what’s inside the package and what’s in our bodies.
If it’s not degradable, the convenience of recycling or throwing it away is, frankly, plastic pollution. It’s a disaster for the environment and, according to the latest research, for our bodies. Without regulation, there would be no difficulty in widespread and universal use, although sporadic at best.
Any conversation about the widespread use of plastics follows in the footsteps of the global climate change conversation, which is defined more by disengagement than sincere progress. Negotiations on the UN-backed Plastics Agreement collapsed after two years and were postponed until 2025. There is no guarantee that a final deal in which the United States would lift caps on plastic production backed by countries such as the United Kingdom and Norway is inevitable. .
Scientists and experts work tirelessly to keep us ahead of the curve, apart from each country’s individual priorities. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” However, between prevention and treatment, you can see which side is more burdened. The rise in cancer rates among young people and the potential havoc plastics pose cannot be ignored. It is no longer something intangible, something that can be heard or seen.
“Life in plastic. It’s amazing” sounds catchy, but the song is in the movie. Real life is usually transactional. Fight for the best deal, if not for others, then at least for yourself.
