My dad lived through the Great Depression. It must have scared him to death because he never threw anything away. His generation existed without plastics. In the early 1950s my dad bought a grocery store in South Philadelphia. We had brown paper bags and cloth bags for groceries. Milk came in bottles as did soda and bleach. These glass bottles were used over, and over and over. Potato Chips and pretzels were sold loose in tin cans. Sliced bread was wrapped in waxed paper or cellophane wrappers. Plastics has changed us forever, and not in a good way.
Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics
Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics is a groundbreaking documentary film on the dangers of microplastics to human health that was produced by Rick Smith, President of the Canadian Climate Institute, written and directed by Ben Addelman, and co-directed by science journalist, Ziya Tong who was the co-host of Discovery Channel’s primetime science magazine, Daily Planet.
In this documentary from White Pine Pictures and Telus Independent, Ziya Tong takes us around the globe in her investigation on the devastating impact from plastic pollution. We learn that every living thing on this planet has been harmed by society’s addiction to plastic. As Rick Smith, executive producer, explains in the documentary: it doesn’t matter where you live, how you live, or your financial status, we all have microplastics inside of our organs, blood, brain tissue, and even inside the placentas of new mothers. We are what we eat and microplastics, which is a byproduct of oil and gas, can be found in all our food. It causes a host of genotoxic cancers and other serious health conditions.
People need to see this documentary, and also check out the website PlasticPeopleDoc.com. We need to reduce our exposure to plastics before it is too late. We need global stringent laws that will force the chemical plants to put people before profits.
Now for my interview with Science Journalist and co-director of the documentary, Ziya Tong.
Gilbert: Thank you for doing this interview, Ziya. What was the catalyst that got you involved in the study of microplastics and their harm on the human genome?
Ziya Tong: Thank you for watching it! For me, it was really important to make the connection between planetary health and human health; to show people on screen that when we trash the planet, we are literally trashing the human body as well.
Gilbert: In the documentary, you travel to a few countries, and you also get tested for microplastics in your own body. What advice are you giving people to protect themselves from the harmful chemicals in plastics?
Ziya Tong: Well, this film certainly is directed more to have politicians, policy makers, and corporations make the big changes because they are responsible. But on a smaller scale, avoid drinking water out of plastic bottles if you can, don’t use plastic chopping boards or scraped up frying pans, and do not microwave your food if it’s wrapped in plastic or in a plastic container.
Gilbert: Is it possible for countries to copy Bayfield Canada’s Plastic Free Community on a larger scale? Do you believe the United Nations can eventually force the chemical companies to reveal what is inside their plastics…or…is the human species destined to become plastic Barbies living in a plastic world?
Ziya Tong: It’s more than possible to follow Bayfield’s lead. A thousand communities have already done that! Surfers Against Sewage offers accreditation so do feel free to join the movement: https://www.sas.org.uk/plastic-pollution/plastic-free-communities/
Right now, there is a real push to have more transparency for hazardous chemicals in the Plastics Treaty so I remain hopeful that with strong leadership we can ban single use plastics and avoid becoming Barbie & Ken!
Thank you for this interview and all your hard work, Ziya. I am hoping that the followers of Biff Bam Pop! will join the movement to be more aware of what’s happening to our environment and to our bodies.
Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics is streaming now in Canada for all Telus subscribers on their network, TELUS OPTIK TV and streaming across all TELUS platforms. Once a sale goes through, we should get news on the US side.
