The 97% of children have different plastic substances in their organisms. The study included 2,500 children between the ages of 3 and 17 and 15 different substances found in certain types of plastic. Of all 15 tested substances, 11 have been found and 97% of the children tested showed at least one of them in their urine.
The study was done by the Umweltbundesamt and Robert Koch Institut as part of the Deutsche Umweltstudie zur Gesundheit von Kinder und Jugendliche 2014 – 2017 project, cited by lessplastic.bg. Details of the study have not been published yet. According to other research, DEHF – plasticizer is found in humans in the highest amounts compared to other chemicals contained in plastic. The compound that makes plastic more elastic is used mainly in bottles and cups production. Once in the body, it disrupts the hormonal system and causes anti-estrogenic activity. Even if they are minimal the amounts of harmful substances that we take from plastics accumulate in our body. The result of this cumulative effect on our health will only become clear over time.
Polystyrene (PS) is most commonly used for the manufacture of disposable coffee cups, home food boxes, yogurt pans, toys. According to ASTM standards, polystyrene is considered to be non-degradable. It accumulates as a form of waste in the external environment, especially along coasts and waterways. The styrene monomer (from which polystyrene is made) is a cancer-causing agent.
In most public kindergartens in Bulgaria, drinking water from children is still given with disposable plastic cups. Every day in 1894 kindergartens in Bulgaria 224 380 children use more than 1 million cups. In one year the amount is over 550 tonnes of non-recyclable waste. The disposable glass is used within 2-3 seconds, after which it becomes a pollutant of water, air and soil for 300 to 500 years. This consumer “achievement” costs the Bulgarian taxpayer over BGN 6 million annually. Another reason for our low standard of living!
If the kindergarten that your child attends has introduced multiple cups for use, this is not a reason to be reassured. About 90% of the entertainers in Bulgaria are not. This waste accumulates in soil and water – we ingest it eating fish or inhale its microscopic particles that are carried through the air.
Clean environment = healthy children = future!
Become part of the mission of the Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development (PECSD)!
Choose a reusable glass! Take it to the nursery and say “My child will drink in this glass!”.
Translator: Valentina Vagge
