Why is glass seemingly healthier to use than plastic? Is it because it is more “natural?”
In: Chemistry
Glass is made of silicon, which doesn’t really react with anything. It’s a rock, basically. If you ingest small particles of it, it might get imbedded in some tissue, but won’t really cause any issues unless it’s in a very sensitive spot.
Plastic is made of hydrocarbons. And so are all the molecules in our bodies. Some of the plastics are similar enough to signalling molecules like hormones that our body will react to them. Microplastics in the environment is a little bit like microdosing hormones. It doesn’t have a big, immediate effect, but as they build up in our bodies, it can cause subtle shifts in our physiology. All the effects are unknown, but a suspected effect is a decrease in fertility.
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