Microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aren’t exactly great dinner table conversation topics but nowadays, since these harmful substances are showing up at the dinner table in our water and even in our food, perhaps it is time to start talking more about them and supporting legislation to address the issue.
In 2024, several articles appeared in the Anchorage Daily News about microplastics being found in the body tissue and organs of marine animals. These include Pacific walruses; bearded, spotted and ringed seals; and beluga, gray, minke and fin whales in Alaska, as well as dolphins and whales from around other U.S. coastal areas. Snow and freshwater samples from 70 locations from across our state from the Kenai Peninsula to the North Slope also contained microplastics.
Another recent article published in this newspaper highlighted a new study showing that microplastics are making their way into human brains. These findings are alarming.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation logs 469 sites where PFAS contaminates soil and water throughout the state including many drinking water sources in Fairbanks, Gustavus, Utqiagvik, Yakutat and many more.
With new data showing the presence of plastics in humans and growing evidence linking plastics and PFAS to cancer and other diseases, it is no surprise people are worried.
A recent survey commissioned by Alaska Community Action on Toxics found that three out of four Alaskans see microplastics contamination as a threat to our drinking water and food, fish and wildlife. On average, over 76% of Alaskans across the political spectrum see PFAS chemicals as a significant threat to their health with increased risk of certain cancers, harm to the immune system, and adverse reproductive and developmental effects.
People understand the problem, but what can we do about it? Plenty. 64.5% of Alaskans surveyed want an “all of the above” approach, including pressure on manufacturers and retailers, state legislation, and federal action. Dozens of other states have passed more comprehensive laws to ban PFAS as well as efforts to limit microplastic exposure. 375 policies have been adopted by 40 state legislatures to protect people from toxic chemicals.
During the last legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 67, a bill phasing out PFAS containing firefighting foams. These are a major source of drinking water contamination in Alaska. This was a positive first step. Still, Alaska has some catching up to do, and we need to start now.
In order to protect public health, legislation is needed to establish health-protective and enforceable drinking water standards as well as a comprehensive approach to the entire class of toxic PFAS chemicals.
A bill banning the intentional addition of microplastics to products and prohibiting the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of rinse-off plastic microbeads in personal care products is also needed.
We applaud Representative Andy Josephson for introducing House Bill 25, which has passed out of two committees thus far. This bill will prevent the use of carcinogenic polystyrene (known as Styrofoam) food containers, similar to what 13 states and the communities of Bethel, Cordova, and Seward have already instituted. This bill will eliminate polystyrene in favor of safer alternatives and stop future disposal of these products in community burn pits, dump sites, landfills, and water bodies across the state.
One or two bills alone will not stop the contamination of Alaska, but the effort of many states will. Legislation sends messages to manufacturers to change their practices and gives people the power to put a stop to actions that alter nature and remove toxics from products we use daily.
Taking legislative action now will help ensure our family meals and gatherings are places where we pass on fun stories and family rituals and not microplastics and PFAS chemicals. If you are one of the majority of Alaskans worried about food on the dinner table or wonder whether your water is safe to drink, let your legislators know, before it’s too late.
Cory Johnson is an environmental justice advocate at Alaska Community Action on Toxics. He serves as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest community in Anchorage.
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