According to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, "[M]ore people worldwide are diagnosed with chronic diseases and cancer. Early onset cancers, including many solid tumors and especially cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, now affect more younger people. This suggests there may be unidentified environmental factors contributing to these changes. It's possible that microplastics are one of those factors." University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
The Stanford School of Medicine cautions that "[t]he particles have been found in multiple organs and tissues, including the brain, testicles, heart, stomach, lymph nodes and placenta. They've also been detected in urine, breastmilk, semen and meconium, which is a newborn's first stool." Stanford University School of Medicine
Learn all you can about this dreadful emergence by coming to tonight's Plastic People screening. Register here.
Plastic invading our bodies isn't the only attack we face. Fossil fuel emissions are burning up our ecosystem and poisoning our health. There are safer, healthier paths we can take, but opponents of offshore wind turbines don't seem to understand how embedded the damage already is and how urgently we need to adopt all clean energy options.
Anyone who wants to see for themselves the meticulous examination the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [BOEM] extended in approving the permits for Maryland's offshore wind turbines can do so here.
Among other things, BOEM "integrated meaningful feedback from Tribal Nations, government agencies, ocean users, and other interested parties before reaching this important decision. The feedback resulted in required measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any potential impacts from the project on marine life and other important ocean uses, such as fishing." (BOEM approves ... project.)
Need more documented scientific proof, instead of histrionic aesthetic fear? Review BOEM's careful consideration of the ecological safety and usefulness of offshore wind energy here. We need all the clean energy we can get.
That's it for this month. We hope 2026 is off to a good start for you. Let's band together to make the rest of it better and better.
Thanks for all you do for the environment,
Jacky Grindrod Vice-Chair Sierra Club Lower Eastern Shore Group
