sharps

Photo Credit: GregPC

The most fame that this little blog ever got was when I got criticized (I think) for suggesting a vasectomy as a way of reducing plastic consumption. This was in print in Mother Jones. A blogger who writes positively about the plastics industry read the article and wrote a post about anti-plastic bloggers. I got some personal attention from that too.

I went back to reread the post in PlasticsNews and saw a comment that I hadn’t noticed before. Ellen Martin wrote “and given current surgical practice there’s no such thing as a plastics-free vasectomy!”

I don’t actually know how much plastic was consumed in the case of my vasectomy. All I can clearly remember is the smell from the laser cauterization and the fact that the painkillers wore off before I finished the drive home (I found out later that I was supposed to have somebody else drive).

The comment got me thinking about all the plastic that is used in health care and how we are not usually in any position to advocate for an alternative when we need help. It’s not like you can bring your own bag when you need a unit of blood. You can’t go to some vintage store and pick up a funky ivory hip replacement.

Many of the items used in medicine were developed after plastic became a widely used material. Many other plastic items used in medicine replace their rubber and glass predecessors. Sterilizing glass items so that they can be reused safely is energy intensive. I don’t know if anyone has crunched the numbers to see whether a glass syringe has a smaller carbon footprint than a single use plastic one. I haven’t heard about any glass syringes washing up on the beach lately.

Plastic is being put inside our bodies with increasing frequency. Hip and knee replacement are plastic. The hardware used in many weight loss surgeries are plastic. Boobs are plastic.

I actually have a little bit of plastic inside of me. I have had two hernia repairs. The second one was performed early in this century and it involved some polypropylene mesh.

You have to wonder if people in the medical profession are preparing to find alternatives when plastic becomes scarce or expensive as a result of dwindling oil supplies. Hopefully they will be given priority over the people who make talking bass novelty items and cell phone accessories.

If you look through all of the blogs written by plastic free purists, you can probably find quite a few admissions about plastic consumption related to pharmaceuticals or other medical stuff. I can’t fault anyone for choosing the best treatment available rather than searching for a plastic free option when they are suffering. I can suggest that you do some contingency shopping for cold and headache medications that are available in glass containers. Look for vitamin supplements in glass containers, but first ask yourself if you really need them.

The best way to reduce the amount of plastic consumption related to your health care is to stay healthy. Don’t smoke. Don’t abuse drugs, including alcohol. Exercise regularly. Eat a healthy diet. Be careful crossing the street. Don’t participate in high risk sexual activities. Don’t piss people off.