A recent article in the journal Environmental Science & Technology relates colon cancer, lung cancer and human infertility to microplastics. These are tiny particles of plastic that come from the manufacture, use and disposal of plastic products. A story in the Boston Globe reports that people with microplastics in major arteries are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes.

In short, microplastics are poison. We absorb them when we consume foods or liquids packaged in plastic. We absorb them from the air. How can we reduce this threat? One way is to decrease the use of plastics, particularly single-use plastics. Three bills were just introduced into the Massachusetts Legislature with this goal. They are: HD 3764, An Act to Update the Bottle Bill; HD 3831/SD 2377, An Act Relative to Plastic Bag Reduction; and HD 2792 and SD 2373, An Act to Reduce Polystyrene in the Environment. Please contact your state legislators to support these bills.

William Diamond

Northampton