Brian Merr on WNYC, it's Tuesday, so we have the Health and Climate Tuesday section of the show coming up.

We'll do two of those segments today, first with Judith Anck, who used to

be head of the EPA for New York and New Jersey with her new deep dive into the environmental

and personal health effects of plastics. On average, each American uses, you ready for this number,

nearly 500 pounds of plastic each year. Plastic production, in fact, doubled between 2000 and 2019

and is expected to triple from today's levels by 2060. That's according to inside climate news.

And today, plastic pollution has circulated to every corner of the globe. It's been found in protected reserves like Lake Tahoe, the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and more

disturbingly, in our bodies, in brains, in heart arteries, even breast milk.

So joining us now is Judith Anck, founder and president of the nonprofit Beyond Plastics,

professor at Bennington College, and former administrator of EPA Region 2.

That means she was in charge of the federal EPA for New York and New Jersey and some places

in the Caribbean.

Judith along with journalist Adam Mahoney is the author of a new book that examines how we got

here and what can be done about it, both on the personal and the political levels.

It's titled, The Problem with Plastics, How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet, before

it's too late.

Judith, thank.

Always good to have you.

We always learn when you come on the show.

Welcome back to WNYC.

Thank you, Brian.

I love being with you and your listeners.

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