Are plastics a threat to human health? | Palmerston North

The miracle material that began to enter our lives in the 1960s and now are unavoidable have a dark side. Some of them are toxic in ways that chemists that invented them in the 1950s never imagined. Today they contribute to a wide rage of hormone-related diseases, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, infertility and neurological disorders, which have become global epidemics. But we know enough now about the mechanisms by which they cause these adverse effects to replace them with inherently safer materials, and help chemists make money in the process. 

Dr. Pete Myers is founder, Board Chair and Chief Scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, a not-for-profit organization promoting public understanding of advances in scientific research on links between the environment and human health. Myers co-authored “Our Stolen Future,” the first book for general audiences to explore how synthetic chemicals disrupt hormone signaling in people and wildlife, contributing to a growing epidemic of hormonally-related diseases and disabilities.

Local wine and cheese will be provided at this event.