Truth To Power | Beyond Plastics Louisville | Health Impacts of Microplastics | 6-12-26

This week on Truth to Power, we bring you a community conversation about the scourge of plastics, the impacts of micorplastics on our health, and how you can get involved locally in addressing the issue! The special guest at the last meeting of Beyond Plastics Louisville on May 21, 2026, was Dr. Timothy O'Toole, associate professor at UofL's Division of Environmental Medicine, speaking about his research into how microplastics affect cardiovascular health. Dr. O'Toole shared research findings showing that mice exposed to microplastics in their drinking water developed obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. The presentation includes detailed explanations of how microplastics contribute to inflammation and white blood cell adhesion in blood vessels. Following the scientific presentation, the group discussed their new "Bring Your Own Coffee Cup" campaign, which aims to partner with local coffee shops to reduce single-use plastic waste. The campaign involves placing promotional stickers in coffee shops and encouraging customers to bring reusable cups, with plans to create a "coffee shop street team" to help contact and recruit participating businesses. Learn more about Beyond Plastics Louisville: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beyondplasticslouky Watch a recording of the meeting at https://youtu.be/6aPXi6bozic Follow up Action: If you would like to learn more about ways to minimize your personal microplastic exposure, you can check some new resources on the National Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) Microplastics are Micromonsters website at https://www.nrdc.org/stopmicromonsters You might notice that the NRDC’s list of ten “Science-backed steps for avoiding microplastic exposure” includes “Bring your own nonplastic to-go cup”. This is the focus for the Plastic Reduction Project - Louisville “Bring Your Own Coffee Cup” campaign. Learn more at https://www.plasticreductionproject.org/louisville Volunteers are needed to help visit coffee shops, deliver stickers, and ensure they are displayed prominently. If you can help, please contact [email protected]. You can also pick up stickers at The Refillery on the Douglass Loop (2200 Dundee Road). This is a list of local shops we hope to recruit for participation in the program: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L9icLR_ubHj8EViTUa_ImyzCoXUw-k__C8Pt8UzmUPY/edit?gid=0#gid=0 If you visit a shop, you can report the results with this online form: https://forms.gle/gJNgnAFTFjec5vmY6 Next meeting: Next month on Thursday, June 18, Beyond Plastics Louisville will meet again via Zoom at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be an opportunity to develop plans for Plastic Free July and to report on progress with our Bring Your Own Coffee Cup campaign. You can use this link to register for the meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ggqzqjMdTJid4DzbCDyNpw#/registration Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 7pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://www.forwardradio.org