What should we ask the plastic doctor?

The plastics industry is not happy with Dr. Shanna Swan. Swan is the epidemiologist at the center of the new Netflix documentary, The Plastic Detox, which follows six couples struggling with infertility as they try to remove all traces of plastics from their lives in an effort to conceive. As the couples replace everything from toothbrushes to cutting boards to clothing, Swan measures concentrations of “plasticizers”—that is, chemicals like phthalates and bisphenols—in their urine and sperm. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I will say that the documentary is causing quite a stir. It’s been covered everywhere from The New York Times to The Today Show to Joe Rogan’s podcast. The documentary also does something I didn’t expect it to do: Aggressively calls out the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for lying about the promise of recycling, and for poisoning communities living next to plastic production facilities. Hence why the plastics industry is so mad. The American Chemistry Council has accused the filmmakers of conflict of interest because the documentary’s production company has financial ties to a billionaire who works in the metals industry. But Swan is not a Big Metal plant. She’s a doctor who has spent the better part of four decades studying how the chemicals embedded in modern life are reshaping human reproduction. Swan’s career and background is laid out beautifully in this Financial Times profile by reporter Sarah Neville; I highly recommend it. What I’m trying to say is: This is not a crank with a grudge against plastic bags. This is one of the most cited reproductive scientists alive—and I’m interviewing her tomorrow afternoon. So I’d like to know: What would you like me to ask her? Particularly if you’ve watched the documentary and have questions, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment, and I’ll ask the two most up-voted ones tomorrow. We’ll publish the interview next week.