SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – In the 1967 movie, “the Graduate,” a neighbor tells Dustin Hoffman’s character that the future for him could be summed up in one word, plastics. Plastic is everywhere in our world and it has undoubtedly enhanced our lives tremendously. But there are also consequences to plastics – most noticeably, waste.
Experts and researchers will join ABC4’s Rosie Nguyen on the CW30 News at 7 p.m. for a two-part IN FOCUS discussion about the “plastics paradox.” Part one that aired Monday night focused on the issues of plastic and part two that will air Tuesday night will address the solutions.
Prof. Robert Adler with the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah discussed what some of the issues of plastics are from a legal perspective. Dr. Scott Belcher, an endocrine toxicologist at North Carolina State University talked about the impact of plastics on a molecular level and its potential health effect on humans. Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, who teaches chemistry at Penn State University Eric Campus, talked about the impact of plastic in freshwater ecosystems and how the pandemic contributed to plastic waste.
All of the guests featured on the two-part series will also participate in a symposium hosted virtually by the Wallace Stegner Center on Thursday and Friday. The program will explore the role of plastics in the modern world; the environmental impacts of plastics production, use, and disposal; plastics and the law; human health and plastics; and the ongoing debate about the need, viability, and desirability of alternatives to plastics.
For more information or to register, visit the event’s website here.
To watch the full IN FOCUS discussion with Prof. Adler, Dr. Belcher, and Dr. Mason, click on the video at the top of the article.
Catch IN FOCUS discussions with ABC4’s Rosie Nguyen weeknights on the CW30 News at 7 p.m.
