Pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act! (S. 984/H.R. 2238)

I’m writing to ask you to co-sponsor and fight to pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2022 (S. 984/H.R. 2238). At least 15 million metric tons of plastic are entering our oceans every year, and experts predict that there will be one pound of plastic for every three pounds of fish in the oceans by 2025. But as bad as things are for our oceans, plastic pollution is not just an ocean problem—it’s also a significant contributor to climate change. Plastics are made from a combination of chemicals (many of them toxic) and either fossil fuels or ethane—a byproduct of hydrofracking that pollutes groundwater and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Plastics contribute to our climate change crisis from extraction to manufacturing, transportation, and usage to “disposal.” If plastics were a country, it would be the world’s fifth most significant greenhouse gas emitter. Plastic pollution is also a threat to public health. Studies have found that each of us is ingesting five grams—the equivalent of a credit card’s worth—of plastic each week. A team of researchers in Italy recently discovered plastic particles in all three sides of the human placenta. Plastic is a known endocrine disruptor, and its presence in all areas of our lives, environment, and bodies has not been proven safe. I suspect it is NOT safe with diseases like cancer and diabetes and problems like male infertility on the rise. Please demonstrate real leadership by passing the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act to address climate change, and protect our oceans, lakes, rivers, drinking water, air, soil, wildlife, and bodies from the harmful effects of plastic pollution. Thank you for taking the time to consider my comments.