living with PLASTICS anxiety

Plastics are ubiquitous in modern life. Even houses built long before vinyl caught on are now full of polymer-based products, from the hoses in pull-down faucets to plastic light switches. Now that we know exposure to certain plastics can be hazardous to human health, we need guidance on how to evaluate building products for potential impacts.

- MARY ELLEN POLSON

Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that some forms of plastic can be harmful to humans. After all, most plastics are derived from petroleum. Just about anything can be made out of plastic, which is not only endlessly versatile but abundant, lightweight, and cheap. We're just now becoming aware that it's unhealthy to store food and liquids in plastics that contain "forever chemicals" (shorthand for a class of chemicals called PFAs) because we consume a minute amount of these long-lived microplastics every time we take a bite or sip.

What about other forms of plastic, especially the ones we use when we renovate our homes-especially those subject to human contact? Many of the plastics that can hurt us are applied superficially (like waterproofing sprays) or break down easily (plastic takeout containers).

Others may be embedded within the structure of the house itself, as components in adhesives found in cabinetry or piping systems that deliver and expel water every day.