Free Inbox | August 01, 2016A Plethora of Plastic Author Notes © 2016 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Article Information School-Based Settings / Professional Issues & Training / Speech, Voice & Prosody / Inbox Inbox | August 01, 2016 A Plethora of Plastic The ASHA Leader, August 2016, Vol. 21, 4. doi:10.1044/leader.IN2.21082016.4 The ASHA Leader, August 2016, Vol. 21, 4. doi:10.1044/leader.IN2.21082016.4 View Article Figures Tables Supplemental Data Supplements Multimedia Share Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest Tools Get Citation Citation A Plethora of Plastic. The ASHA Leader, 21(8), 4. doi: 10.1044/leader.IN2.21082016.4. Download citation file: RIS (Zotero) EndNote BibTex Medlars ProCite RefWorks Reference Manager © 2018 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association × Alerts User Alerts You are adding an alert for: A Plethora of Plastic You will receive an email whenever this article is corrected, updated, or cited in the literature. You can manage this and all other alerts in My Account The alert will be sent to: Confirm × Sign In or Create a free account to receive alerts. × In reminiscing about my career, where I addressed needs of preschool and school-aged students, I have a twinge of remorse. In retirement I have become more aware of community health and safety issues, including the impact of plastic waste on our bodies and our food chain. Even with the removal of BPA from many toys and feeding utensils, the new iterations of plastic are mostly untested. We know that plastic never biodegrades, but only turns into smaller and smaller bits. We also know that recycling plastic can only go so far—eventually it ends up as a high-numbered commodity that no manufacturer wants to use. As one clinician, I am responsible for so many broken plastic toy prizes, contaminated disposable oral-motor tools and discarded plastic gloves now in landfills. And all those single-use plastic bags and do-dads from convention! We do have choices—and can advocate for more choices. How about metal slinkies rather than plastic ones, paper or metal (or other reusable) straws instead of plastic, and vegetable sticks for oral-motor work? Also significant is the impact of putting plastics in the mouths of our patients—as the saying goes, “If it’s on you, it’s in you.” Thank goodness that we are a creative group, since we must invent new solutions to our unique plastic problem. Grace Gifford, Conway, South Carolina Many communication sciences and disorders professionals share your concerns and have adopted more eco-friendly treatment tools and practices. Thank you for reminding us of our responsibility to our clients and to the environment. 0 Comments Submit a Comment Submit A Comment Name Comment Title Comment Could not validate captcha. Please try again. You have entered an invalid code Submit Cancel Thank you for submitting a comment on this article. Close This feature is available to Subscribers Only Sign In or Create an Account × FROM THIS ISSUE August 2016 Volume 21, Issue 8 ‹ Issue › ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER|ADVERTISE WITH US Related Articles First Person on the Last Page: Finding My Path The ASHA Leader, February 2011, Vol. 16, 39. doi:10.1044/leader.FPLP.16022011.39 Symbolic Play Development in Toddlers With Expressive Specific Language Impairment (SLI-E) Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, December 1992, Vol. 35, 1290-1302. doi:10.1044/jshr.3506.1290 Update on State Laws Affecting Hearing, Speech-Language TreatmentIn 2017, states tackled issues that could affect communication sciences and disorders professionals and clients. Here’s a look at some of the changes. The ASHA Leader, April 2018, Vol. 23, 28-31. doi:10.1044/leader.PA.23042018.28 Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating PhD Students: Practical Ideas From 73 Communication Sciences and Disorders PhD Program Coordinators Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, March 2018, Vol. 3, 4-10. doi:10.1044/persp3.SIG10.4 Management of Recurrent Vestibular Neuritis in a Patient Treated for Rheumatoid Arthritis American Journal of Audiology, March 2018, Vol. 27, 19-24. doi:10.1044/2017_AJA-17-0090 ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER|ADVERTISE WITH US Related Topics School-Based Settings Professional Issues & Training Speech, Voice & Prosody