We have to change how we produce, consume and dispose of plastics. You can make a difference for the planet and your health by not buying or using these items. Toxic plastics are a scourge on our planet. Plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, plastic straws, and plastic stirrers are the most common forms of plastic pollution, behind cigarette filters.

Fossil fuel-based plastic production is not only contributing to worldwide climate disruption, but the products are also major contributors to land and sea pollution - one of our most pressing environmental issues. Numerous recent studies show that plastics are toxic for our environment and there is increasing worry over their potential effects on human health.

Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested. The 2022 study, published in the journal Environment International, found half the blood samples contained PET plastic, commonly used in drink bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, used for packaging food and other products. A quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made. ?Our study is the first indication that we have polymer particles in our blood ? it?s a breakthrough result,? said Prof Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. ?But we have to extend the research and increase the sample sizes, the number of polymers assessed, etc.? Further studies by a number of groups are already under way, he said. ?It is certainly reasonable to be concerned,? Vethaak told the Guardian. ?The particles are there and are transported throughout the body.? He said previous work had shown that microplastics were 10 times higher in the feces of babies compared with adults and that babies fed with plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day. ?We also know in general that babies and young children are more vulnerable to chemical and particle exposure,? he said. ?That worries me a lot.?

Another 2022 study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, is the first robust study to identify plastics in the lungs of living people. "We did not expect to find the highest number of particles in the lower regions of the lungs, or particles of the sizes we found. This is surprising as the airways are smaller in the lower parts of the lungs, and we would have expected particles of these sizes to be filtered out or trapped before getting this deep into the lungs," said Dr. Laura Sadofsky, a senior lecturer in respiratory medicine and the study's lead author. Researchers identified 12 types of microplastics, which are commonly found in bottles, packaging, clothing and twine, along with other manufacturing processes. The microplastics included polyethylene, nylon and resins. The study notes an "increasing concern" with the hazards that could come with ingesting and inhaling microplastics.

"This is proof that we have plastics in our body ? and we shouldn't," Prof Dick Vethaak said.

Another 2022 review by researchers from Brunel University London found that widely-used PET recycled plastic bottles pass more toxic chemicals into their contents than newly manufactured bottles. They found that of the 150 toxic chemicals that leached into drinks from plastic bottles,18 were at levels exceeding regulations. The thermoplastic PET is the third most widely used type of plastic in food packaging, with one of its most popular end uses in single-use drinks bottles. This new review reinforces the fact that recycling plastic is not the solution. The real solution is to completely phase out fossil-fuel, toxic-chemical based single-use plastics that pollute our environment and our bodies.

Please, stop using single-use plastics like bottled water. If you eat organic in order to avoid toxic chemicals like synthetic pesticides, you need to consider reducing and eventually eliminating plastic use for anything coming into contact with your food or drinks. Although more studies need to be done on the health effects, we are willing to bet the bank that these microplastics and nanoplastics (plastic particles smaller than microplastics) WILL have negative health effects, as these particles are also releasing the toxic chemicals that are used to make the plastic. And don't be fooled by the term "food grade plastic." Even these more rigid plastics will shed microparticles and leach plastic chemicals into your food and drink.

This durable 17 oz/500 ml stainless steel water bottle with a vacuum insulated design and an odorless leak-proof screw cap to keep your drinks piping hot or ice cold. HANDWASH ONLY.