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> Zero harm, so far. That's phrased like they're racking up lists of harm it causes. But so far, zero. So 'scratching the surface' means 'haven't found anything
by justin66 7y ago
> Zero harm, so far. That's phrased like they're racking up lists of harm it causes. But so far, zero. So 'scratching the surface' means 'haven't found anything'?
They've found an awful lot. They've determined that plastics containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals for which there's no determined safe dosage are floating around in our water and food in concentrations that were previously unsuspected. Determining how much harm that is causing is, necessarily, the last and most difficult step.
- jjeaff 7y agoSo, there is a hypothesis that those levels "could" be unsafe, but no evidence?
- justin66 7y agoThat's a true but especially obtuse way of looking at things, yes. It would be more intellectually honest to say that we're still measuring how much damage these substances are doing to human health.
- JoeAltmaier 7y agoAgain, that's speculation. With not a lot of evidence behind it. Folks have been using plastics for what? 100 years now? Where's the epidemiological evidence from that period? Where's the public health crisis? No, I think this is overblown.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- jjeaff 7y agoWhat is obtuse would be to make incredibly painful, sweeping changes to our economy and food supply based on a possibility, unfounded in fact.
- hinkley 7y agoThe harm doesn't start when the proof of harm is found. Every new thing that has never been seen before has no proof that it does harm until we catch it in the act. Once in a while someone invents nerve agents and kills themselves in the process giving us instant feedback, , but we had whole generations licking radium paint and putting lead in their wine to sweeten it. Cigarettes? No proof of harm even though the harm was obvious. How many times are we gonna go around this merry go round before we put our foot out?
- hinkley 7y agoPlastics also seem to be sponges for toxic materials like PCBs. Even if the plastic turned out to be harmless, it could still be the gun for some pretty nasty bullets.