Hi,

June 5th is World Environment Day, a celebration of our planet and a time to take action against plastic pollution. From rolling hills to your living room, clean and healthy environments are essential for our wellbeing. But now, the rising threat of microplastics is on our minds, in our soil and water, and in our bodies. 

Here at EARTHDAY.ORG we know that health is everything, and that starts with our environment. With your donation, let's stay in control and fight back against polluters.

The issue is also close to our hearts, with particles found in the tissue before and after surgery.¹ But research into the effects of microplastics on human health is proving difficult, as scientists struggle to find a plastic-free control group. In fact, researchers are nearing the conclusion there is no one in the developed world left without a trace.²

EARTHDAY.ORG has long known about this issue, evidenced in our report Babies vs. Plastics.³ Our children are our future, but there are significant risks to their health. This April, we released an update on our Babies vs. Plastics Report, with Who Doesn’t Love Their Children?⁴ We found that from placentas to pacifiers, infants can ingest 10 times more microplastics than adults. 

The threat continues with our fur babies. Our report, Pets vs. Plastics, was released a year ago, and from phthalates to vinyl chloride, those squeaky toys definitely aren’t squeaky clean. Even a nibble on some kibble risks exposure to PFAS, which are forever chemicals often used in plastic packaging.⁵

But before you pull out the puppy eyes, remember your voice is anything but micro. 

Your support ensures we stay at the forefront of spreading awareness on these issues.

Big Plastic may think they have control, but we know the power is in the people. So, this World Environment Day, let's keep it clean. For our health, for our children, for our pets, and for our planet.

For us,

Kathleen Rogers
President

Footnotes:

1. Environmental Science and Technology: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.2c07179

2. MedShadow Foundation: https://medshadow.org/the-impact-of-microplastics-cant-be-studied-because-there-is-no-control-group/

3. EARTHDAY.ORG: https://www.earthday.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BVP-Report.pdf

4. EARTHDAY.ORG: https://www.earthday.org/who-doesnt-love-their-children-protect-their-future-a-follow-up-on-babies-vs-plastics/

5. EARTHDAY.ORG: https://www.earthday.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Pets-vs-Plastics-Report.pdf