I used to know very little about how much plastic and petrochemicals are in everything, and what all of that is doing to us. Now, I’m trying to get as much of it out of my life as I can. And that’s thanks to Moms Clean Air Force.
That’s because, in March, I was given the opportunity to moderate a panel of brilliant scientists and advocates who are studying plastic and petrochemicals at the annual Moms Clean Air Force 2026 Summit in Washington, D.C.
I heard from Dr. Ray Dorsey, a neurologist who is studying how plastics affect brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s; Dr. Jasmine McDonald, an epidemiologist who is studying the chemicals in Black cosmetics and beauty products; and Cynthia Palmer, who has a long history of advocacy work around toxic chemicals and how to get lawmakers’ attention.
What I learned shocked me:
- Environmental exposure to toxic chemicals has more to do with brain disease, specifically dementia, than our genes do;
- Cosmetics and beauty products in the US are barely regulated at all—while the European Union regulate 2,400 chemicals in the beauty industry. In the US, it’s only 15 chemicals.
- We inhale, eat, and drink millions of microplastic particles each year—from everything from water bottles to clothing to paint to car tires. And we have no safe or effective way to get rid of plastics (and plastic recycling doesn’t work).
There was so much more fascinating information I gleaned from the summit, which you can watch here. I not only came home armed with this knowledge, but determined to try and cut it out of my own life as much as I can—and spread the word to others.
