MICROPLASTICS is the NEW BLACK-

One Trend to Avoid

As I have communicated in the past, microplastics are a significant and rapidly growing presence in our school environments – and in the bodies of teachers and students. They have been found in every placenta examined, every umbilical cord, and during autopsies, every penis.

All public water supplies now deliver them to your home and school. And at home and in schools, we contribute additional volume by using plastic cooking tools, microwaving food in plastic bags, and failing to clean the filters in clothes washers and dryers.*

Microplastics are causing great alarm in the medical environment because of the implications for human health. Due to lack of funding--and slow recognition of the magnitude of the problem--research has neglected the impact on the human body. That is changing.

We now know that dangerous plastics come in a wide range of sizes (including nanoplastics, which are even smaller than microplastics), chemical compositions, and colors–-and each of these may have different effects on your health. Among scientists, the variation causing the most concern is a group known as "black plastics."

Before the early 2000s, electronic waste was uncommon. With the advent of iPods and cellphones, electronic waste burgeoned, and the average consumer was faced with ad hoc instructions from local governments, businesses and product manufacturers about safe methods for recycling. Yet, our conscientious efforts toward repurposing discarded electronics have led unwittingly to the production of potentially harmful black plastics.

According to an article published by Science Focus in November 2024, many black plastics, including the spatulas, ladles, spoons, and food containers we find in our kitchens, possess unwanted elements of recycled electronics. Remember when you last boarded an airplane and were asked if you had any rechargeable batteries in your luggage?  The airlines know that these and other electronic gadgets can erupt into a fire.  To protect against this possibility, these products were manufactured to incorporate flame retardants (FRs), such as decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE). When original electronics are recycled, the FRs persist and make their way into the aforementioned kitchen utensils and other goods.

*The next time you clean your dryer filters, examine them closely. What you see are the largest and most visible particles of all the plastics that have been shed by “no iron, wrinkle free” clothes in your family’s closets.  The remaining portion of plastics are so tiny that they are not caught by your filter.

Most of these goods are black.

Flame retardants, when ingested, pose an observed, though still-unquantifiable, risk to health. As a recent study appearing in the online portal Science Direct states, “carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity” have all been associated with FRs.

When microparticles are shed from kitchen plastics during the preparation of food, they provide a means by which toxic FRs enter the body.

We cannot yet precisely predict the health costs. And, while we amass data to better measure the incidence of diseases that arise from black plastics, we could continue, of course, to 'consume' them--and the food we prepare with them. But, perhaps, this is one trend we do not want to participate in.

The safest option is to remove black plastic cooking tools and other goods wherever you find them.

For more information about how microplastics become carriers of flame retardants, read Why some kitchen utensils could be poisoning you, by Holly McHugh, and/or review the study, From e-waste to living space: Flame retardants contaminating household items add to concern about plastic recycling, conducted by three researchers in the field.

Dr. Francis P. Koster is a retired pediatric healthcare administrator and the President of The Optimistic Futurist's partner organization, The Pollution Detectives, Inc., a not-for-profit that lends meters and gauges to folks who want to make sure their kids’ schools are safe and optimal for learning. Learn more on the website or send an email to Dr. Francis P. Koster.

EPA Names Five to Receive $34 Million:

They ALL Have YOU in Mind -

Work with Them.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected five recipients to receive a total of $34 million to address indoor air pollution in schools. The winners are: The American Lung Association, The Go Green Initiative, The U.S. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools, The New York State Department of Health and Health Research, Inc., and the University of Utah.

Beginning in 2025, grant recipients will collaborate with K-12 schools throughout the country to develop comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) management plans. By including operations personnel, health officers, and key decision makers, the plans will help schools reduce energy expenditures, outdoor greenhouse gas emissions, and undesirable classroom substances such as particulate matter, excess carbon dioxide, and mold.

At the same time, EPA states, “There is substantial evidence that comprehensive management of indoor air quality in schools improves student academic performance and attendance." Studies also confirm that cleaner air reduces the spread of airborne illnesses such as COVID-19 and lengthens the lifespan of Heating, Ventilation and Cooling systems.

According to the EPA, “approximately one-sixth of the U.S. population attends or works in roughly 130,000 schools." Inadequate ventilation in classrooms, in particular, can lead to pollutant concentrations that are "two to five times — and occasionally more than 100 times — higher than outdoor levels.” Such conditions are especially risky for children, whose organs are still developing while they breathe more air in proportion to their body weight than adults.

If you would like to better protect the health of children at your school, you can go to Grant Funding to Address Indoor Air Pollution at Schools, the EPA's dedicated website, for details about how schools can work with grant recipients. Interested schools can also subscribe to EPA’s email list for updates.

Looking for a Lesson Plan?

Recently, Energy Star, an official website and "ecolabel" of the Environmental Protection Agency, published a new K-12 Energy Efficiency Student Toolkit.

The new toolkit is designed for K-12 students who want to jump-start or enhance their school’s energy management program. Students will learn how to benchmark and understand their school's energy use, conduct an energy efficiency treasure hunt to pinpoint opportunities for improvement, and increase awareness of indoor environmental quality in their school. Follow this guidebook to teach your students and encourage your school to adopt healthy and energy-efficient habits. And spread the word about this ready-made lesson plan!

A Simple Step to Increase Learning:

Borrow Indoor Air Monitors Without Charge

The Pollution Detectives, Inc. has the expertise and the equipment to help you manage indoor air quality in your organization.

The 501(c)3 nonprofit provides indoor air monitors and technical assistance without charge to schools, fitness centers and healthcare clinics throughout North Carolina. Out of more than 850 sampled locations, it found that 40% possess indoor air conditions that lower learning by at least one letter grade.

The monitors lent by TPD survey for particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and temperature and humidity. Regulating these components of the indoor environment is critical to the performance of teachers, administrators and staff, and to the concentration and academic achievement of students.

If you are interested in borrowing monitors and/or in understanding more about the benefits for your school, visit the website or contact Dr. Francis P. Koster at fkoster@thepollutiondetectives.org.