Clean Lab Uncovers A Dirty Plastic Secret

Cryptic Moth apologizes for the hiatus from our blog. A fortunate break in stories allowed for a much needed rest in Berlin.



While Gad squeezed in a quick tour of his Romanian roots.



We drove south to Heidelberg to meet Dr. Bill and his associate Dr. Michael at the city’s university on Tuesday.



The 11 hour drive was tough but shooting in an all-white-walled, plastic-covered, multimillion dollar clean room (including booties) was tougher.



But perseverance is filmmaking and both guests were eager to show off all of their sophisticated machinery; some of which we still have no idea how or what they do.





Dr. Bill’s lab is one of – if not the - cleanest in the world. They are able to detect metals in everything from peat bogs to ice cores down to the parts per trillion. It’s a big deal in the world of environmental geochemistry and sheds light on such things as climate change or the migration of toxic pollutants.



But they are also testing plastic - PET plastic water and pop bottles to be specific. Why? Because an ingredient used in making PET is migrating from the bottles into the liquids.

This is antimony.



Also called “white lead,” it is also used in everything from flame retardants to brake pads, bullets and ceramics. And it’s toxic. While it is no secret that antimony is used as a catalyst in the production of PET (titanium is used in Japan), the leeching of this metal into our drinks has only now been proven – thanks again to the clean lab.



Both Bill and Michael insist that all of their findings are below FDA standards in the USA and Europe while some have exceeded Japan standards. The potential impact is still unknown but considering that antimony does accumulate in the body and in the environment, these scientists have decided to air on the side of caution and refrain from drinking out of any PET bottle.



Now the clean lab is starting to look beyond bottled water to juices and carbonated beverages, even beer. Cryptic Moth thanks Bill for giving up 2 days – including a holiday - to a renegade film crew and to Michael for his eagerness to “be Hollywood.”





Then it was a May 2-4 night on the town with old friend and Canadian super-writer, Chris Turner. He’s also currently circling the globe for examples of sustainability and you can follow his travels at www.thegeographyofhope.com





Chris, who spent years in Germany as a youngster, was a blessing to the trip - from navigating the Black Forest to translating vegetarian options like Flame Cake.

He also introduced us to Richard, an artist in Freiburg who on top of advising the city on the aesthetics of wind turbines, has published a book on things we lose and throw away.



His pictures will be a welcome addition to the film; though do not expect to see Richard as he refused to be filmed. Fair enough.



It was sad to see Chris go but we are also ending our European stretch of the tour – at least for now.



The Moth flies to Japan on Saturday for visits with Sony, NEC, a university professor and much more…maybe even Gad on the karaoke?







Stay tuned.

Out.

I+G