Lumping anti-vax conspiracy theories together with pioneering research in an emerging field (e.g. microplastics research), strikes me as careless.
Most people understand that vaccines are overwhelmingly beneficial and that avoiding them is bananas. I would consider this common knowledge. It's not like the public is on the fence about this that I'm aware of. A kooky subset of the population keeps demonstrably false conspiracy theories clinging stubbornly on by refusing to acknowledge material facts, but I don't think the average person finds their arguments compelling.
Micro/nano-plastics research, on the other hand, is still a virgin field of research. Until like two years ago, it wasn't really on anyone's radar. Even now, two years in, the existing body of work is still too small to be drawing any sweeping conclusions, but the data does seem to indicate a link between, say, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (e.g. pthalates) leached from everyday plastics (such as water bottles, kitchen plastics, PVC pipes, etc) and health problems such as metabolic disorders, chronic obesity, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, infertility, lower sperm counts, behavioral issues in minor children, serious birth defects, some cancers, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
I understand your contention is that if certain "toxins" (like microplastics) really were unsafe, it would be obvious by now since literally everyone is exposed to them. Meanwhile, cancer rates among adults under the age of 50 are skyrocketing at alarming rates globally. Obesity is a rampant public health crisis specifically in wealthy, developed Western nations and no one knows for certain what's driving it. There are theories, but nothing conclusive. That's why there are a lot of fad diets but no known cure for obesity that works for everyone long-term, or even for most people.
Just like people in the Middle Ages were unaware that diseases are caused by microbes invisible to the naked eye, we too may simply be attributing our public health crises to the wrong things. Micro/nano-plastics may be directly to blame for a plethora of modern health concerns. If that's the case, the fact that we haven't figured this out yet is not the same thing as us having actual evidence that micro/nano-plastics are broadly harmless.
Lumping anti-vax conspiracy theories together with pioneering research in an emerging field (e.g. microplastics research), strikes me as careless.
Most people understand that vaccines are overwhelmingly beneficial and that avoiding them is bananas. I would consider this common knowledge. It's not like the public is on the fence about this that I'm aware of. A kooky subset of the population keeps demonstrably false conspiracy theories clinging stubbornly on by refusing to acknowledge material facts, but I don't think the average person finds their arguments compelling.
Micro/nano-plastics research, on the other hand, is still a virgin field of research. Until like two years ago, it wasn't really on anyone's radar. Even now, two years in, the existing body of work is still too small to be drawing any sweeping conclusions, but the data does seem to indicate a link between, say, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (e.g. pthalates) leached from everyday plastics (such as water bottles, kitchen plastics, PVC pipes, etc) and health problems such as metabolic disorders, chronic obesity, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, infertility, lower sperm counts, behavioral issues in minor children, serious birth defects, some cancers, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
I understand your contention is that if certain "toxins" (like microplastics) really were unsafe, it would be obvious by now since literally everyone is exposed to them. Meanwhile, cancer rates among adults under the age of 50 are skyrocketing at alarming rates globally. Obesity is a rampant public health crisis specifically in wealthy, developed Western nations and no one knows for certain what's driving it. There are theories, but nothing conclusive. That's why there are a lot of fad diets but no known cure for obesity that works for everyone long-term, or even for most people.
Just like people in the Middle Ages were unaware that diseases are caused by microbes invisible to the naked eye, we too may simply be attributing our public health crises to the wrong things. Micro/nano-plastics may be directly to blame for a plethora of modern health concerns. If that's the case, the fact that we haven't figured this out yet is not the same thing as us having actual evidence that micro/nano-plastics are broadly harmless.