The Case is Settled , But the Distribution of your Fees is Delayed ...
We can bridge the gap .
Keep your practice running smoothly with a fast , friendly and affordable post-settlement advance .
Funding available within days Advances starting at $ 10,000 Competitive rates Help for a wide variety of cases No hidden fees or charges
APPLY TODAY
www . balancedbridge . com
Call us Now 267.457.4540
water , and bottled water . There are tiny plastic particles embedded in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets and food stalls .
As the world rapidly ramped up its production of plastic in the 1950s and ’ 60s , two other booms occurred simultaneously : that of the world ’ s human population and the continued development of industrial agriculture . The latter would feed the former and was made possible thanks to the development of petrochemical-based plastics , fertilizers , and pesticides . By the late 1950s , farmers struggling to keep up with feeding the world ’ s growing population welcomed new research papers and bulletins published by agricultural scientists extolling the benefits of using plastic , specifically dark-colored , lowdensity polyethylene sheets , to boost yields of growing crops . Scientists laid out step-by-step instructions on how the plastic sheets should be rolled out over crops to retain water , reducing the need for irrigation , and to control weeds and insects , which couldn ’ t as easily penetrate plastic-wrapped soil .
This “ plasticulture ” has become a standard farming practice , transforming the soils humans have long sown from something familiar to something unknown . Crops grown with plastic seem to offer higher yields in the short term , while in the long term , use of plastic in agriculture could create toxic soils that repel water instead of absorbing it , a potentially catastrophic problem . This causes soil erosion and dust — the dissolution of ancient symbiotic relationships between soil microbes , insects , and fungi that help keep plants alive .
From the polluted soils we ’ ve created , plants pull in tiny nanoplastic particles through their roots along with the water they need to survive , with serious consequences : An accumulation of nanoplastic particles in a plant ’ s roots diminishes its ability to absorb water , impairing growth and development . Scientists have also found early evidence that nanoplastic may alter a plant ’ s genetic makeup in a manner increasing its susceptibility to disease .
Based on the levels of micro- and nanoplastics detected in human diets , it ’ s estimated that most people unwittingly ingest anywhere from 39,000 to 52,000 bits of microplastic in their diets each year . That number increases by 90,000 microplastic particles for people who regularly consume bottled water , and by 4,000 particles for those who drink water from municipal taps .
In 2018 , scientists in Austria detected microplastic in human stool samples collected from eight volunteers from eight different countries across Europe and Asia . Clearly , microplastic is getting into us , with at least some of it escaping through our digestive tracts . We seem to be drinking , eating , and breathing it in .
This excerpt is from Thicker Than Water : The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis , by Erica Cirino
86 x The Trial Lawyer