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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

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


• 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



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


Dr. Lisa Erdle
Dr. Lisa Erdle

 
 
 

Updated: Nov 21, 2025

The powerful sugar industry has spent years downplaying the health impacts of sugar and promoting the use of fluoride in public water supplies.


In the news this week, Patti and Doug talk about a new warning on plastic pollution and children's health, how play sand in Australia has been found to be laced with asbestos, and the EPA's head-scratching approval of another PFAS pesticide ingredient. Then scientific researcher Chris Neurath talks about his work uncovering documents that show how the sugar industry manipulated science and worked secretly behind the scenes to support community fluoridation programs despite evidence of fluoride's neurotoxicity and links to other serious health impacts.  


The Sugar Scandal with Chris NeurathGreen Street with Patti & Doug Wood

Links from the Interview

Chris Neurath's article published in PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41016930/


The Fluoride Action Network: https://fluoridealert.org/



The California court decision on fluoride in drinking water: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024.09.24-Opinion.pdf


Links from the News

An EPA Committee issues warning about plastic and children's health:



The EPA is set to approve a brand new PFAS pesticide substance: https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/05/pfas-in-pesticide-epa/


Chris Neurath
Chris Neurath



 
 
 

Scientists around the world are trying to figure out what to do with our plastic problem and what it means for our future.

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about why recycled plastic contains more toxins than virgin plastic, how government energy positions are increasingly filled with former oil execs, and the first discovery of mosquitoes in Iceland. Then Dr. Christy Tyler, professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology talks about her work uncovering the sources of plastic pollution that end up in our water. 


Plastic in Our Water - with Dr. Christy Tyler

Links from the Interview

Dr. Tyler's page on the RIT website: https://www.rit.edu/directory/actsbi-christy-tyler


The Tyler Aquatic Ecology Lab at RIT: https://christytyler.weebly.com/


Links from the News




Dr. Christy Tyler
Dr. Christy Tyler

 
 
 
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