Plastic has permeated our daily lives. In supermarket shopping carts, they are used to wrap things like bananas, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and to hold washing machine detergent and toothpaste. This petroleum-derived substance Exists in the clothes we wear every day Under other labels (polyester, polyamide, acrylic, elastane, polypropylene). Even though these ingredients have been with us for the past few decades, science has revealed that they are harmful to our health and the planet.
Their use has increased tremendously, plastic pollution became global issues. Additionally, additives are added to make this plastic more durable, flexible, or resistant to sunlight, but the additives are toxic and can cause further problems.
Ann endocrine disruptorAlso called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), they have the following effects: change the function of the endocrine system According to the World Health Organization, it causes adverse health effects. The endocrine system consists of glands that produce: hormones that move in the blood It regulates important functions from metabolism to sleep, growth, development, mood, and reproduction.
of Effects of endocrine disruptors It can occur not only in humans but also in other living things. For humans, these destroyers are associated with: infertility problems, Genital malformations in newbornsor Increase in hormonal cancer. WHO research has also linked them to diagnoses such as attention deficit and hyperactivity in children.
These destructive substances not only affect the human body, but also damage to the environment. “In marine organisms, cases of sex reversal, hermaphrodites, and the proliferation of unisexual populations have been reported,” explains the industrial chemical engineer at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Reiko Guedes. The researchers added that in the natural environment, endocrine disruptors “predispose all individuals to one sex (female or male), meaning that the population will eventually disappear.”
hermaphrodite or feminized It has also been recorded among fish and molluscs in the archipelago.
Simple bottles take decades to degrade
“For example, the plastic in a water bottle has a very short service life, but can last for decades in the environment,” the researchers explain. As bottles deteriorate, they create two types of environmental problems: microplastics and pollution caused by plastic additives. These are more easily released.
Geddes argues that drinking tap water directly is cheaper and preferable, and points out that consuming bottled water every day means constant exposure to some additives that act as endocrine disruptors.
Meanwhile, technical engineers explain that the risk of chemical migration from plastics to food is very low. However, he points out that improper storage of the bottles can promote the migration of compounds into water, “if they are exposed to improper storage, high light, or very high temperatures.”
Bisphenol A and phthalates
Endocrine disruptors can be derived from natural substances or from artificial sources. Among the latter, the Food Safety Authority of Catalonia classifies them into four groups: Environmental pollutants (PCBs, dioxins, benzopyrene, some ingredients in household products, heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Hg). Food contact substances (bisphenol A, phthalates); and agricultural production residues (phytosanitary products). In addition to those intentionally used in some medications such as oral contraceptives.
One endocrine disruptor that has been present in people’s daily lives for decades is **Bisphenol A**, also known as BPA. The chemical is used to coat the inside of a variety of products, from food and soda cans to water bottles, and Spain and Europe have tightened regulations on the product over the years.
In 2023, the European Food Safety Authority reassessed the health risks of this ingredient as it is an endocrine disruptor. In 2024, the European Commission banned the use of bisphenol A in materials intended for contact with food. Europe had already banned the use of this additive in the production of baby bottles, baby bottles and infant feeding containers. “It’s often sold with a big sign saying it’s (…) bisphenol A (BPA) free, but, well, it’s harmful, so it really should be free,” points out the expert.
Regarding phthalates, the Spanish Food Safety Authority states that although phthalates act as endocrine disruptors, the average daily intake of these products (DBP, BBP, DEHP, DINP, DIDP) is seven times lower than the risk level established in studies. However, these risks are typically reassessed over the years.
Rayco Guedes, technical engineer in industrial chemistry; Photo: Juan Mateos.
new pollutants
Scholar Rayco Guedes and a team of researchers are delving into its existence, distribution, fate, and mechanisms. Removal of new contaminants In the atmosphere. “Emerging pollutants are not necessarily newly developed compounds,” Geddes explains, noting that some products have been used for decades, but the technology to detect them accumulating in the environment was not available until now.
The research team Guedes participates in the investigation of various types of pollutants. Among them, I found in wastewater (detergents, pharmaceutical residues) but also other substances. beach or coastal area (Highly related to tourist activities and high presence of sunscreen).
In this regard, researchers add that these pollutants cause the following phenomena: pseudo-persistenceThis occurs when the environment breaks down these compounds at a lower rate than humans introduce them into the environment. In other words, the continued introduction of pollutants into the environment prevents them from biodegrading at the same rate as they are introduced into the atmosphere.
In a message of optimism, the engineer claims: power of the consumer Because you choose what types of products you want to pay for and what types of products you don’t want to pay for. “Instead of going to the supermarket where everything is wrapped in plastic, try going to a local store that has more local products and probably doesn’t have plastic packaging,” he points out.
“Rather than trying to change everything, legislate everything or ban everything, change our habits. We actually have much more power than we realize,” he concludes.
