In July Vicki Thomas from the LWVBWC Climate Issues Team presented Does this Plastic Make Me Look Fat? Plastics and Your Health to the Healthcare Issues Team.
Plastics are pervasive in our environment and, even more concerning, in our bodies. She discussed why we should be concerned. Plastics may contain certain chemicals, such as bisphenols, PFAS, phthalates, and flame retardants, that can disrupt our endocrine systems; are associated with increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, and cancer; and affect fetal and brain development. And yes, they may promote obesity. Finally, plastics do not go away, but break down into tiny micro and nano particles that get into everything. Recycling is not the answer as most plastic is not recycled. She offered some suggestions for personal actions we can take as well as legislation that is needed.
For more information, watch the recording of the presentation on the Healthcare Issue Team's webpage.
Important: There will be no meeting in August. The next meeting of the Healthcare Issue Team will be September 15th 10:00am to 11:30am on Zoom. Owen Racer, the healthcare reporter from Cascadia Daily News will meet with us to talk about what he has learned about healthcare in Whatcom County so far. It also will be an opportunity for us to share our thoughts with him about what might be important topics to cover in his reporting. Watch for an announcement with registration information.
Of course, these will be your personal opinions about what are the critical healthcare issues: others may differ. We are a diverse group, but have strong individual opinions based on our active efforts to stay informed. Come join us!
As always, we welcome your suggestions for topics and/or speakers or anything else you want to share.