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The EPA will likely not be of help to Americans on this matter. The nominated chief is viciously anti-regulation, and also has received over $200,000 in campaig

The EPA will likely not be of help to Americans on this matter. The nominated chief is viciously anti-regulation, and also has received over $200,000 in campaign donations from oil & gas companies. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pruitt https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pruitt

jMyles 10y ago
To be fair, the EPA has been pretty shite on this issue regardless of its leadership.
goodcanadian 10y ago
While I have no doubt that the EPA will be more hampered than helped by the current administration, I think we could leave politics aside and ask what can practically be done short of banning all plastic production? As long as plastic exists, these microparticles will continue to be produced. I don't really see a way around it. Before we freak out, however, we should try to understand what this even means. Most plastics are relatively inert, so this may be basically harmless. Or, it may be a complete disaster; we don't know.
- dajohnson89 10y ago
  Indeed, it will be a difficult problem to fix. For starters, being tougher on industrial waste will help. Incentivizing the production of biodegradable materials. Funding research into understanding the full impacts of microplastics upon our food chain. Funding research into how best to clean up our oceans, and practical clean-up efforts. (See http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws--pruitt-bay-about-face-20170123-story.html http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws--pruitt-bay-ab... as an example). I hate hate hate talking about politics. But I'm starting to realize that for big issues like this, it's impossible to have a meaningful conversation without getting into government policy.
  - Retric 10y ago
    I never got all this government hate. Governments can solve problems, which is why we have them in the first place. Yes, they are dangerous, so are cars.
- Retric 10y ago
  We can do something without banning all plastics. We could just ban plastics that don't degrade fairly quickly when broken into tiny bits. Wood for example with a coating can be stable for decades, but microscopic bits of wood are not around for long.

jMyles 10y ago

To be fair, the EPA has been pretty shite on this issue regardless of its leadership.

goodcanadian 10y ago

While I have no doubt that the EPA will be more hampered than helped by the current administration, I think we could leave politics aside and ask what can practically be done short of banning all plastic production? As long as plastic exists, these microparticles will continue to be produced. I don't really see a way around it. Before we freak out, however, we should try to understand what this even means. Most plastics are relatively inert, so this may be basically harmless. Or, it may be a complete disaster; we don't know.

dajohnson89 10y ago
Indeed, it will be a difficult problem to fix. For starters, being tougher on industrial waste will help. Incentivizing the production of biodegradable materials. Funding research into understanding the full impacts of microplastics upon our food chain. Funding research into how best to clean up our oceans, and practical clean-up efforts. (See http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws--pruitt-bay-about-face-20170123-story.html http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws--pruitt-bay-ab... as an example). I hate hate hate talking about politics. But I'm starting to realize that for big issues like this, it's impossible to have a meaningful conversation without getting into government policy.
- Retric 10y ago
  I never got all this government hate. Governments can solve problems, which is why we have them in the first place. Yes, they are dangerous, so are cars.
Retric 10y ago
We can do something without banning all plastics. We could just ban plastics that don't degrade fairly quickly when broken into tiny bits. Wood for example with a coating can be stable for decades, but microscopic bits of wood are not around for long.