"Our parents are fine. We're fine. Our children will be fine." It's a defense you might hear when parents seek to justify questionable behaviors or not doing more to protect their kids.
One TikToker has had just about enough of that attitude. They took to the platform to vent about parents taking a hands-off approach surrounding microplastics and PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
@itskyleetingstrom Microplastics & PFAs are still bad even if they're in a lot of the stuff we consume. I dont know how or why people aren't understanding that tid bit? 🥲 #momsoftiktok #motherhood #babyproducts #motherhoodunfiltered #motherhoodjourney #rawmotherhood #momlife #momoftwo #babyfood #babywipes #costco #2under3 #momoftwo #mom #mama #viral #trending #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound - Kylee Tingstrom
While microplastics and PFAS can seem like an unavoidable part of our children's and our own lives, the blasé attitude of other parents to the potential risks baffled the TikToker.
First, she kept it real and hit back at the "everyone's fine" worldview by acknowledging her family is "all a little bit kooky," whether that has to do with microplastics and PFAS or not.
Next, she posed a simple question for parents who are knowledgeable about the substances: Why not try to reduce your children's exposure?
She proposed: "Shouldn't you try to keep your child as safe and protected as possible?"
The TikToker has a real point as we learn more about the dangers of PFAS and microplastics. As she acknowledged, we still have plenty to learn. But what we do know is concerning.
The spread of microplastics is continually growing. Moreover, humans unwittingly consume about a credit card's worth of them per week, according to research from the University of Newcastle in Australia. Thus, researchers are finding microplastics everywhere, from in the blood and lungs of living people to their reproductive organs.
Microplastics have been linked to fertility issues, cancer, and dementia.
Meanwhile, PFAS are highly toxic "forever chemicals." They have that moniker because they "usually take hundreds or thousands of years to break down," according to the World Economic Forum. They find their way into our air, water, and soil through companies' production processes.
Contaminated food and water can cause an increased risk of cancer, liver damage, and thyroid disease, alongside reduced fertility.
Commenters on TikTok sympathized with the user's frustration with parents who aren't taking steps to avoid PFAS or microplastics.
One announced that they're "switching all my bottles to glass bottles just to be safe!"
Another echoed the view that we should try to evolve and protect our children as much as we can. She shared that her "mom tells us all the time she feels bad that she didn't have the resources we have now."
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