Plastic's Toxic Troublemakers - with Dr. Leo Trasande

The chemicals contained in plastic items, from nail polish to synthetic clothing to food packaging, can disrupt normal sexual development and even prevent conception.

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk abut a new study on wireless radiation and cancer, how America’s natural parks are opening up to the fossil fuel industry, and how the EPA is weakening regulations on toxins coming from burning plastic. Then Harvard-trained pediatrician Dr. Leo Trasande, an internationally recognized expert on endocrine disrupting chemicals, talks about the future of the UN’s World Plastic Treaty and what we’re learning about the devastating harm of the chemicals in plastic. 

Plastic's Toxic Troublemakers - with Dr. Leo TreasandeGreen Street with Patti & Doug Wood

29:00

Links from the Interview:

• The website for Dr. Trasande's book "Sicker, Fatter, Poorer" https://www.leotrasande.com/sicker-fatter-poorer

• Read more about Dr. Trasande:

: https://www.leotrasande.com/about

• Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: implications for human health (study)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32707118/

Links from the News :

• Study shows exposure limits for radiation don't protect against cancer: https://www.ehn.org/cancer-wireless-radiation-limits

• Drill, Baby, Drill. Our national parks are open for the oil and gas industry: https://www.dw.com/en/drill-baby-drill-trump-opens-wilderness-to-big-energy/a-76411423

• The EPA wants to relax or eliminate regulations on emissions from companies that burn plastic: https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/epa-wants-to-let-plastic-incinerators-skirt-clean-air-act/104/web/2026/03

Cell Phone Cards: 10 cards are free. Just send an email to radio@grassrootsinfo.org with your mailing address. View the card here: https://www.grassrootsinfo.org/_files/ugd/2cea04_4aa1a3705e424411937bcb34e9da69e9.pdf

"I'm Rich and I Don't Care"

I'm Rich and I Don't Care"Music and Lyrics by Doug Woof

3:07

The High Cost of Toxic Fashion - with Alden Wicker

Synthetic fabric clothing is not only contaminating our world with microplastics, but it’s also impacting our ability to reproduce. 

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about the environmental legacy of war, state efforts to ban artificial food dyes, and what kinds of chemicals are often found in baby mattresses. Then investigative reporter and author Alden Wicker talks about fast fashion, synthetic fabrics, and how our throw-away relationship with cheap clothing is not only exacerbating the worldwide plastic crisis impacting but our own health in ways we never expected. 

The High Cost of Toxic Fashion - with Alden WickerGreen Street with Patti & Doug Wood

29:00

Links from the Interview

• Alden Wicker's book "To Dye For": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705645/to-dye-for-by-alden-wicker/

• To Dye For - the documentary film: https://www.todyeforthedocumentary.com/watch

Links from the News

• The environmental legacy of war: https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/costs/environmental

• West Virginia bans food dyes: https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/03/25/west-virginias-artificial-food-dye-ban-still-blocked-by-judge-bill-to-address-it-died-in-senate/

• Chemicals in baby mattresses: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2025/06/two-new-studies-find-harmful-chemicals-childrens-bedrooms-and-mattresses

Journalist and author Alden Wicker

The Plastic Fiber Fiasco - with Dr. Lisa Erdle

Tiny plastic fibers, mostly from the clothes we wear, are ending up in our air, our food, and our own bodies. But there are solutions on the horizon.

The Plastic Fiber Fiasco - with Dr. Lisa ErdleGreen Street with Patti & Doug Wood

29:00

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about the hidden costs of our dependence on fossil fuels, the EPA's effort to reduce state and local control over pipelines and power plants, and how New England states are joining together to promote residential heat pumps. Then Dr. Lisa Erdle, Director of Science and Innovation at non-profit 5 Gyres, talks about how scientists are now identifying tiny fibers from our clothing as one of the major culprits in the worldwide plastic pollution problem. 

Links from the Interview

The website of 5 Gyres: https://www.5gyres.org/

Links from the News

• Affordability Requires Leadership (Op-Ed by Anshul Gupta) https://qoshe.com/the-leader-us/anshul-gupta/affordability-in-ny-requires-leadership-not-fossil-fuels/187323190

• Trump administration seeks to limit the ability of local governments to oversee major energy projects: https://apnews.com/article/water-trump-epa-section-401-data-centers-42716f21a37cadf624e2d7dee05fa3c3

• Heat pumps in New England: https://www.envirolink.org/2025/11/30/five-new-england-states-unite-for-historic-450-million-heat-pump-initiative-to-combat-winter-heating-emissions/

• Video from the first symposium of the Forums for a Nuclear-Free New York: https://www.grassrootsinfo.org/forums

Dr. Lisa Erdle