4 ms·

There's a phrase in India, "Ek dum number one", which roughly translates to "absolutely number one". India ek dum number one. It's an absolutely senseless poli

There's a phrase in India, "Ek dum number one", which roughly translates to "absolutely number one". India ek dum number one. It's an absolutely senseless policy, regardless of country, that's going to exacerbate the problem. And the problem of microplastics is just barely starting to garner mainstream attention and long term implications are not fully understood. Probably not a good idea to spew them all over the place regardless. And there's some group of people who continue to downplay the issue (eg downvoting any comment suggesting microplastics are not fully understood and _may_ cause long lasting damage to the ecosystem and health)

imp0cat 3y ago
the problem of microplastics is just barely starting to garner mainstream attention In India? I ask, because in Europe, there definitely is a lot of awareness. Products that advertise no microplastics are common, there are attempts to regulate stuff like brake dust etc....
- throw4way23984 3y ago
  I'm not in India, so I can't say, but I doubt it's any better than where I am. In non-European western countries, I've seen some news articles now and then mention microplastics, but they're few and very uncommon. Definitely nothing like products that advertise no microplastics. Part of Europe may be ahead of the curve in that regard. For example, PFAS stuff is now entering mainstream attention and government regulations are now being put in place in some countries and regions. It's now common to see products now advertised as PFAS-free. Microplastics is likely decade or more away from getting that kind of attention. Hopefully more research and understanding of the impact is done during that time. But in the meantime countless bits of microplastics are being introduced into the waterways non-stop. Fibers from synthetic clothing, laundry products (PVA, polyester dryer sheets), probably number of other things including tire dust. Unlike the pacific garbage island, this stuff isn't visible, so unlikely to get the type of media attention macro-plastic pollution has gotten over the past decades.

imp0cat 3y ago

the problem of microplastics is just barely starting to garner mainstream attention In India? I ask, because in Europe, there definitely is a lot of awareness. Products that advertise no microplastics are common, there are attempts to regulate stuff like brake dust etc....

throw4way23984 3y ago
I'm not in India, so I can't say, but I doubt it's any better than where I am. In non-European western countries, I've seen some news articles now and then mention microplastics, but they're few and very uncommon. Definitely nothing like products that advertise no microplastics. Part of Europe may be ahead of the curve in that regard. For example, PFAS stuff is now entering mainstream attention and government regulations are now being put in place in some countries and regions. It's now common to see products now advertised as PFAS-free. Microplastics is likely decade or more away from getting that kind of attention. Hopefully more research and understanding of the impact is done during that time. But in the meantime countless bits of microplastics are being introduced into the waterways non-stop. Fibers from synthetic clothing, laundry products (PVA, polyester dryer sheets), probably number of other things including tire dust. Unlike the pacific garbage island, this stuff isn't visible, so unlikely to get the type of media attention macro-plastic pollution has gotten over the past decades.