Plastic increasingly posed a threat to environmental and human health. From food packaging to clothing, plastic persisted in ways that often went unnoticed.
Scientists identified microplastics in many store-bought products. Some dairy brands, including Great Value and Chobani, faced recalls tied to contamination concerns.
According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, “At least 25% are already officially classified as hazardous. A few concerning plastic chemicals include hormone-disrupting and cancer-causing phthalates, PFAS, and bisphenols; asbestos and toxic heavy metals such as lead and arsenic; and much more.”
Plastic contaminated many everyday items, including water bottles and food containers. At California Baptist University, some students who prepared meals used plastic tubs, though growing awareness of health risks led others to switch to glass containers.
Destiny Perez, senior biomedical sciences major, said she avoided plastic water bottles and instead used a stainless steel bottle. She also transitioned to glass containers when preparing meals for her commute to CBU.
“I try not to use a plastic water bottle, so I just use a regular one,” Perez said.
As Perez made personal changes, she noticed businesses attempting to reduce plastic use, though she questioned some alternatives.
“I don’t know, cause of the paper straws, I feel like they just disenegrate and I feel like that’s also just as bad, if not worse, I feel like than plastic, so I’m not sure,” Perez said.
Perez said she believed the country would eventually adopt better environmental solutions as people sought healthier and more sustainable practices.
Mary Moreno, freshman pre-nursing major, noticed grocery stores charging for plastic bags to discourage their use.
Moreno said many of the products she and her family purchased came packaged in plastic. After learning about food recalls, she realized how common plastic packaging had become.
“That’s probably really bad for like, the health of just like, honestly, everyone, just because it’s hard to find food these days, that’s not like plastic packaging; and I really don’t know any, like sources of food where like you can find it, like without plastic, I guess, so that’s bad,” Moreno said.
Moreno said plastic pollution also affected animals and ecosystems.
“I love watching documentaries, so like watching about global warming and climate change because of like plastic consumption and like how it ends up in the ocean is like really sad,” Moreno said.
She said using plastic water bottles wasted resources, particularly when people failed to recycle. Moreno switched to a steel water bottle to keep her water cold and reduce plastic use. She said collective action remained essential in addressing environmental concerns.
“But I think it’s just like a collaborative effort to try and reduce plastic use because it is up to each person to make that effort,” Moreno said.
Students are encouraged to remain aware of the plastics they consumed or used each day. Small changes in daily habits, such as recycling and reducing plastic use, contributed to protecting human health and reducing harm to wildlife affected by pollution.
