So, Chelsea, I...
These are gonna be back-to-back episodes, so it's fairly clear that I'm just...
I apparently have taken an environmental approach once again, as I generally do,
when it's going to be bad news, and this is probably bad news.
At this point, we don't know for sure, but it's probably bad news.
Okay.
This comes from foodmanufacture.co.uk.
Oh, shit.
Written by Bethany Grills on July 2nd, 2024.
Article title.
Fiberglass found in oysters and mussels.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
In an alarming first, a study has found that burning levels of fiberglass particles have
contaminated the food chain via natural bivalve populations.
Great.
So, not just plastic, we gotta worry about now, apparently.
The study, a joint effort from the University of Brighton and Portsmouth,
revealed that fiberglass or glass-reinforced plastic,
GRP, which is used in boat manufacturing, has been breaking down and contaminating coastal waters.
The GRP particles have been detected in the soft tissues of oysters and mussels
collected near an active boatyard, and...
I'm gonna take a guess at this, just because I suck at Brittis.
It says chichester, but it might also just be chester in how they pronounce words in
Britain.
I don't know for sure.
They're words, they just allude me.
A popular sailing destination and so thing.
Using micro-Raman spectroscopy, the researchers found up to 11,220 fiberglass particles per
kilogram in oysters and 2,740 particles per kilogram in mussels.
The material has been used widely in boat manufacturing since the 60s and previously
been considered durable and harmless, but the researchers say these findings
raise both urgent environmental and health concerns.
While durable, the material is difficult to dispose of and often ends up being abandoned
or improperly discarded, the tint particles then make their way into the water.
This is particularly rife during the peak boat maintenance, usually winter seasons.
These particles accumulate in bivalves such as oysters and mussels, which are crucial to marine
ecosystems due to their filtering feeding habits.
The ingestion of GRP can then interfere with their digestive system,
leading to physiological stress and even death.
This not only affects marine life, but could also have significant implications for human
health, given that these bivalves often end up on consumer plates.
Dr. Karina Siokan, principal lecturer in marine biology from the University of Brighton,
described the findings as quote disturbing, and quote.
She added, quote,
This study is the first of its kind to document such extensive contamination in natural bivalve
populations.
It's a stark reminder of the hidden dangers in our environment.
Efforts are being made to find viable disposal solutions, but more needs to be done to prevent
at sea dumping and onshore burning.
We're just starting to understand the extent of fiber less contamination.
Our study is the first to show this level of contamination in natural bivalve populations.
We must improve public access to slipways and commercial boat maintenance facilities.
Creating a better ethos around end of life boat management is crucial to minimize further
exposure and spread of these contaminants, said Dr. Siokan.
For now, the discovery serves as a wake up call for the boating community and environmental
regulators.
And that's the end of the article.
That was surprising in my mind.
I had never heard of, we focus a lot on plastic.
We talk a lot about plastic.
So to hear that not only are vaginas worried about non-plastics, so too are our yonic friends
in the sea the mussels in the oysters.
I think it's the owners of vaginas.
Okay.
But you things stick out to me on this.
Number one, I don't think I can get away from the fact that I'm putting plastic and chemicals
into my body at a concerning and alarming rate at this point.
I don't think I can get away from it, even if I was trying to.
Oh, we can't.
We can't.
Nobody, I don't think in their right of way.
Nobody is intentionally putting plastic in their body.
I don't think.
Nobody.
No, that's, no, you know what?
I shouldn't say that because like people are still using plastic straws and putting like
plastic in their mouths to do certain things like say open a plastic.
But they're not assuming that it's being absorbed into your body.
I bet you most people.
Fair enough.
I'm going to get this certain like cereal because it's loaded with plastic and I want to become
like mostly plastic.
You know what?
From what I've read, Annie's has more plastic in it.
Therefore, I'm going to buy the Annie cereal.
Yeah.
Nobody is saying that.
Yeah.
I don't think a single person.
And especially Annie's has the organic plastic in it that I need.
That was my next point.
Even organics, even if you're like, I'm going to eat organic to get away from all of the stuff.
I mean, it's worse than sometimes.
So there's not any action that you can take if you're saying, you know what?
I don't want plastic in my body.
There's not literally any single way that you can get away with it.
And it's not just the food we eat.
It's literally every single part of our life that is putting plastic into our bodies at this point.
That's the first takeaway.
Second takeaway, we're concerned about boating because of the oysters.
But have they been reading the news about the orcas?
Well, I think the orcas have actually been reading these maybe.
I think so too.
That was my next point.
Maybe they're the ones looking out for us.
And people need to be looking at these studies coming out.
That's why they're the symbol of the podcast.
That's why they're our symbol of the podcast.
They are the people's whale.
The people.
Sorry.
The common man.
The boats.
The common man whale.
The common.
Who are the people?
Not the boats, not the billionaires.
They are not their whale.
They are our whale.
Yeah.
No, no.
What's his name?
Twain is the whale of the billionaires.
We all just passed.
It's true.
We all know that he told us.
Racistly so shit, Twain.
Sorry.
That had to be said.
Number three, no comment on the actual wasters and mussels that we talked about on this episode.
And I'll leave it at that.
Those are my three comments because I have to number all my sentences now.
Yeah.
And Chelsea, I do think it's important that I just add this one piece of information
because you said there's nothing we can do about the plastic.
Well, we did actually talk about this.
And yes, in fact, giving blood and or donating plasma does in fact help remove
blood from your body or just cutting your veins to allow that blood to freely leave your body in a
responsible way.
Let it out.
Also help.
It wants out.
I am not condoning this in any way nor is the podcast, but please go donate.
Well, sorry.
That part of just.
Science.
Letting it out freely.
Please, please go to the blood donation places and do those things that you need to do because
they're very good for your body.
We're getting kicked back from Taylor's blood filter.
Yeah, the blood filtering guy, he's doing a great job.
And anyhow, if you're doing this on your own right now, you better survive these next 48 hours
because you've got to be here for this next episode.
Yeah.
And yeah, bye.
Number four, sentence five.
Five.