He Tested His Body for Plastic… The Results Were Disturbing | Kal Glanznig
Release Date: 10/06/2026
He Tested His Body for Plastic… The Results Were Disturbing | Kal Glanznig
Confessions of a Mermaid
Plastic is in our oceans, our food, our homes — and increasingly, our bodies. Australian environmental advocate and Plastic Country filmmaker Kal Glanznig set out to investigate Australia’s plastic crisis, from polluted coastlines and wildlife to fossil fuels and government policy. Then the investigation became personal: Kal tested his own body and discovered high levels of phthalates. In this episode of Confessions of a Mermaid, we unpack what plastic is actually made of, the thousands of chemicals used to make plastics, microplastics and human health, and why Kal says plastic has become...
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Plastic, Hormones, Fertility, Health : What the Science Actually Says | Dr. Leo Trasande
Confessions of a Mermaid
Plastic is in our blood, organs and tissues. But what is it actually doing to us? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Leonardo Trasande, pediatrician, environmental health researcher, professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and author of Sicker, Fatter, Poorer, to separate what we know from what we're still trying to understand about plastics and human health. We unpack the difference between microplastics themselves and the chemicals associated with plastic—including phthalates, bisphenols and PFAS—and what the research suggests about hormones, metabolism, fertility, pregnancy and...
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Are Your Clothes Toxic? Plastic Fabrics, Chemical Dyes & What to Wear Instead | Deanna Mansell
Confessions of a Mermaid
What are our clothes actually made of — and what happens before they reach our skin? In this episode of Beautiful World, Kathryn sits down with Deanna Mansell, founder and designer of New Zealand clothing brand DEA, whose journey into natural clothing began with her own experience of severe eczema and topical steroid withdrawal. After discovering how sensitive her skin was to conventional fabrics, dyes and textile treatments, Deanna spent years experimenting with organic cotton, plant dyes and traditional textile processes — eventually taking those experiments from her kitchen stove in New...
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Inside the Fight Against Climate Disinformation with Senator Peter Whish-Wilson
Confessions of a Mermaid
What if the biggest threat to our oceans isn't just plastic, but the lies designed to keep us confused about it? In this eye-opening episode of the Beautiful World podcast, Kathryn Nelson sits down with Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Australian Greens Senator for Tasmania since 2012 and lifelong ocean advocate known as "the Surfing Senator," for a candid conversation recorded in his final weeks in the Australian Senate. Senator Peter explores his fight to pass Australia's Extended Producer Responsibility bill, the disinformation campaigns funded by fossil fuel interests to delay climate...
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Homesteading, Natural Building & the Anti-Trad Wife | Arielle Crawford of the Realness Preserve
Confessions of a Mermaid
What if the future isn't about inventing something new—but remembering what already worked? In this episode of Beautiful World, I sit down with Arielle Crawford of the Realness Preserve and Texas Cob Company to explore natural building, healthier homes, regenerative living, and the practical skills that create resilient communities. We discuss cob homes, lime plaster, mould-free construction, homesteading, purpose, partnership, and why traditional knowledge is becoming increasingly relevant in the modern world. We also dive into the "tradwife" conversation, exploring how women can reclaim...
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What's Really in our Food? | Glyphosate, Soil Health, & The Future of Food with Blair Beattie
Confessions of a Mermaid
What if feeling better starts with looking a little closer at the food we eat every day? In this eye-opening episode of the Beautiful World podcast, Kathryn Nelson sits down with Blair Beattie, Executive Director of Farmers Footprint Australia, for an enlightening conversation about food, health, farming, and our connection to the natural world. Together, they explore the impact of glyphosate (the world's most widely used pesticide) on our food systems, why so many people are struggling with chronic health issues, and how reconnecting with real food, healthy soil, and local communities may be...
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48: The Truth Behind Shark Culling with Andre Borrell
Confessions of a Mermaid
In the 1930s, Australia’s Government Shark Control Program planted baited drum lines and shark nets around its beaches to protect swimmers and surfers. But what if the true killer isn’t sharks but the very same program that claims to protect us? In this episode, I’m joined by Andre Borrell, director of Envoy: Shark Cull; a documentary that exposes the ugly truth behind Australia’s shark control program. Partnered with experts, it debunks the program’s effectiveness and highlights sharks’ undeserved reputation of being dangerous killers and their important...
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47: Our Soil Situation with Ryland Engelhart, producer of Netflix’s Kiss the Ground
Confessions of a Mermaid
When we begin our move into a more sustainable life, we can be so quickly reeled into the idea that consuming animal products and byproducts are bad; that we should be into much more plant-based food, but what if that isn’t the big picture? In this episode, I have Ryland Engelhart, producer of Netflix’s Kiss the Ground, which is a documentary that focuses on our soil health situation. He shares with us what we need to do to keep our soils diverse, and how we can contribute as soil advocates. Being earth-conscious is more than just consuming plant-based choices, it’s contributing and...
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46: Claiming Your Aboriginality and Paying Homage to Your Ancestry with Ella Noah Bancroft
Confessions of a Mermaid
As a mixed fair-skinned Bundjalung native born in Australia, Ella Noah Bancroft always felt like she was challenged about just how pure she was as an indigenous person. With growing up to words and notions like that, Ella knew she needed to pay homage to her lineage and respect to the stolen generation by continuing their culture and bringing it to the modern era. Ella is now the founder and pioneer of The Decolonisation Movement, and had dedicated her life to the rise of female energy as the way for us to reconnect and release ourselves from the bounds of personal, social, and ecological...
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45: Fighting Plastic and Light Pollution for our Turtles with Ranger Lauren Engledow
Confessions of a Mermaid
Plastic pollution is a problem that affects so many animals, habitats, and people. Turtles have come into the spotlight in recent years though, thanks to the rise in social media awareness for their protection and preservation; with a big factor to that being the viral video of the straw stuck up in a poor turtle's nose. This video hit the world hard, but we cannot stop at feeling bad for what is happening when we can make conscious efforts now to save more than just the turtles. Today I’m joined by Lauren Engledow, a turtle ranger dedicated to protecting what is left of the species and...
info_outlinePlastic is in our oceans, our food, our homes — and increasingly, our bodies.
Australian environmental advocate and Plastic Country filmmaker Kal Glanznig set out to investigate Australia’s plastic crisis, from polluted coastlines and wildlife to fossil fuels and government policy. Then the investigation became personal: Kal tested his own body and discovered high levels of phthalates.
In this episode of Confessions of a Mermaid, we unpack what plastic is actually made of, the thousands of chemicals used to make plastics, microplastics and human health, and why Kal says plastic has become the fossil fuel industry’s “Plan B.”
We also ask a bigger question: after decades of recycling, reusable bags and individual plastic-free swaps, why is plastic production still growing?
We talk about:
• What Kal found when he tested his body for plastic chemicals
• Phthalates, microplastics and plastic additives
• The “spaghetti bolognese” analogy that explains how chemicals can leach from plastic
• Why “BPA-free” doesn’t necessarily mean problem solved
• Why recycling alone won’t solve the plastic crisis
• Why plastic is becoming fossil fuel’s “Plan B”
• Australia’s voluntary packaging targets and producer responsibility
• The baby sea turtle that passed plastic for eight days
• The Global Plastics Treaty
• Individual action vs. systemic change
• Why contacting your elected representatives actually matters
• “Stubborn optimism” and why hope lies in action
Kal’s ultimate vision? To make himself redundant — to help build a world where we no longer need activists fighting this hard to keep plastic out of our oceans, wildlife and bodies.
Plastic Country is available to watch free online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU5e90uGo5A
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