While people are aware of the chemical element lead, are people aware there’s also a hundred or so other chemical elements?

Why worry about man-made nuclear weapons when we've always had the sun?

Because plastics are not natural and are a relatively recent invention in human history. A bonus is that there has been a exponential increase in usage in the last 30 years.

We do not have a long history of its effects, and what we do have doesn't look good. So showering plastic particles everywhere seems like an ill-advised idea.

As a society we have very few options to collectively decide to do something "better". Our government and oversight agencies are supposed to be one of those options. This is a disappointing development.

A teaspoon of dihydrogen monoxide can kill you and it covers the entire earth. It is probably in your bathroom and kitchen right now.