A global supplier of zippers has found that paint used on some of its products (supplied to major clothing brands like The North Face, Patagonia Inc., Eddie Bauer Inc, Columbia Sportswear Co., L.L. Bean, Lululemon and many more companies that would not disclose whether they were affected or not…) may contain toxic forever chemicals called PFAS. Evidently PFAS is used in a bunch of our clothing, not just zippers. The zipper thing was discovered earlier this year but is just now being reported publicly, which leads me to this.
PFAS are a family of thousands of human-made substances nicknamed Forever Chemicals because they do not break down in the environment, but have still been used since the 1940’s in a huge range of everyday consumer products and industrial processes. The synthetic substances resist degradation and accumulate in our environment (in food you eat, it’s in the dirt and air you breathe) and in living organisms (polluted animals have been found on every continent except Antarctica and that’s just because there was a lack of test results in Antarctica.) Think about the fish, meat, and vegetables you eat. Basically, all you have to do is look for PFAS and you will find it.
Go to ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas.
In a month, we ingest (through eating… and drinking is the worst) the weight of a 4×2 Lego brick in plastic, or, imagine this, enough shredded plastic to half-fill a rice bowl … equivalent to the size of a credit card. We could be eating a credit card each month?!? In 6 months, 125 grams or enough to fill a cereal bowl, and in a year, an amount of plastic heaped on a dinner plate or say, the plastic in a fireman’s helmet… but in your lifetime if you live through this to 79 years old, it could be the same amount as two rolling green trashcans that you set out by the curb on trash day. So, we eat it, poop it out, then where does it go? Plastic does NOT break down and go away, it just goes to a different place on Earth. So, what is going to happen to us?
According to a study in Environmental Health Perspectives, most plastic products, from dishes to plastic bags to food wraps, have been proven to release estrogenic chemicals, which are endocrine disrupters, that act like the sex hormone estrogen, so it is screwing up our hormonal systems with premature births, miscarriage, male infertility, premature breast development and abnormal male sexual development. Plastic is toxic. Are you scared yet? You should be for your children and your grandchildren, your neighbors, and your family.
Don’t microwave in plastic. The most commonly used chemical is phthalates, which makes plastics soft and bendable. This is not chemically bound to plastic, so it gets transferred to other things easily. Try not to eat things that have been stored in plastic containers for long periods of time. If you are getting sliced meat at the deli, ask for wax paper instead of plastic.
1. PET (#1), HDPE (#2), LDPE (#4), and PP (#5) are the safest plastics for food storage.
2. PVC (#3), PS (#6), PLA and Polycarbonate plastics (#7) should be avoided.
3. Check the recycling codes on all plastic containers to see if they are safe for food storage.
This week’s Fortune Cookie: The value lies not within any particular thing, but in the desire placed on that thing.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Paul Hogan is 84. Actor-dancer Ben Vereen is 77. Singer Cyril Neville of The Neville Brothers is 75. Country singer Tanya Tucker is 65. TV host Chris Wallace is 76. Actor-singer Susan Anton is 73. Musician Paul Simon is 82. Keyboardist Robert Lamm of Chicago is 79. Country singer Lacy J. Dalton is 77. Actor Demond Wilson of Sanford and Son is 77. Singer John Ford Coley of England Dan and John Ford Coley is 75. Model Beverly Johnson is 71. Singer-actor-talk show host Marie Osmond is 64. Singer Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues is 77. Author R.L. Stine of Goosebumps is 80. Actor Sigourney Weaver is 74. King Charles is 75.
Ken Mattingly, NASA astronaut on Apollo 16, STS-4 and 51-C, the 4th and 15th flights of the Space Shuttle program, died at 87. Frank Borman, NASA astronaut on Gemini 7 and Apollo 8, then CEO of Eastern Air Lines, died at 95. Mark Goddard, best known for portraying combative Major Don West in the series Lost in Space, died at 87. Richard Moll died at 80. He was best known as the eccentric but gentle giant bailiff “Bull” on Night Court.
FYI: We have become a world of casual dressers, so if you happen to be planning a cruise, bringing camouflage clothing with you would be a big No-No. In destinations such as The Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, Dominica, Antigua, and St. Lucia, wearing such camo apparel in some locations is reserved exclusively for military personnel. So, leave ALL your camo at home or you’ll be stuck on a boat in your room…. where you can wear anything you want to wear, but it really defeats the purpose of going on a cruise, don’t you think. Dress Codes also typically say no baseball caps, athletic wear, or bathing suits in in the dining room. Before you depart on your voyage, it’s always a good idea to take a long look at the individual cruise company’s dress codes.
In 1958, Mattel first produced their prototypes for a doll named Barbara Millicent Roberts aka Barbie. That makes her eligible for Medicare. The final season of The Crown is split into two parts, with Part One released November 16 and Part Two on December 14. NBC will have a live music special filmed at Elvis Presley’s estate on November 29 called Christmas at Graceland. You will find Eddie Murphy in Candy Cane Lane, as a Christmas-obsessed dad who will stop at nothing to win the neighborhood decorating contest, all done Eddie Murphy style – December 1, on Prime Video. Hmmm. Just doesn’t sound like as much fun as Saturday Night Live with Eddie Murphy. Ninfa’s is FIFTY years old. Thank you for making tacos al carbon (fajitas) and Tex-Mex a thing. In 1958, there were six satellites orbiting the Earth, there are now more than 11,300. Pop star, Pink, announced she intends to give away 2,000 banned books during the Florida part of her 2023 Trustfall Tour. The four books that she will give away are, The Family Book by Todd Parr, The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and a book from Girls Who Code that encourages girls to become computer scientists and engineers.
Saving your brain. There is growing evidence that receiving multiple types of routine vaccines can lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s (maybe by as much as 40%) in seniors (we are not talking HS seniors here). This could include shingles, pneumonia, and Tdap/Td vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis). Don’t know about you, but I think I personally need to call on every opportunity to help myself with impending age-related problems. Twice this weekend I walked to another room to get something, then forgot why I was going. Wait, maybe it’s ok… I HAVE been doing that all my life.
Retired: I do nothing in the morning, to keep my afternoon free.
Expensive Mistake. After seven short years, Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher (underachiever) as their head football coach, with a contract buyout of $77,562,500 million just to get him to go away. They must have really wanted him to hit the road fast. It is the biggest buyout for a football coach in history with 25% due in a lump sum within 60 days of termination and remaining balance to be paid in equal annual payments beginning 120 days after termination, continuing through the end of his contract (12-31-2031). According to USA Today, the 12th Man Foundation reported $239.5 million in net assets for fiscal year ending 06-30-2022. Of total assets, $112.2 million was reported as endowment funds. The foundation reported $135.2 million in contributions for the fiscal year, so I would say, all is well financially. What does this say for college football…
Military veteran Aaron James (46) of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was working as an electrical lineman in 2021 when his face touched a live wire, receiving a 7,200-volt electric shock. This past May he was able to receive a 21-hour surgery where doctors transplanted a whole left eye and socket, including orbital bones and surrounding eye tissues around the optic nerve, plus a partial face which included a new nose, left upper and lower eyelids, a left eyebrow, upper and lower lips and underlying skull, cheek, nasal and chin bone segments. James received the organs from a single donor and has regained his ability to taste, smell and eat solid foods. It is not known whether he will regain sight in the new eye but it is showing signs of health. Amazing.
Nov 18 • Blessings for Baby Give-Away Day 10am – 12 at Pregnancy Help Center to “shop” for free baby items. Event is open to the community (20-item limit – while supplies last). Donations accepted. 325 Garland St., LJ.
Dec. 2 • Teddy Bear Carnival, 2-4 pm at Covenant Evangelical Presbyterian Church 102 Yaupon St, LJ for fun carnival games, live performances, and more! This year’s monetary and toy donations benefit BACH. General admission is $5 (or $20 for a family up to 6 living in the same household).
Have a great week. Thanks for reading us.
LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
