Simply using your food packaging in the manner it’s supposed to be used is enough to contaminate your comestibles with a sprinkling of microplastics.
The problem, a team led by biologist Lisa Zimmermann of the non-profit Food Packaging Forum in Switzerland says, is ubiquitous.
“We found food packaging is actually a direct source of the micro- and nanoplastics measured in food.”
“Our study shows that under intended or foreseeable conditions of use, plastic food contact articles can release MNPs into foodstuffs,” they write in their paper.
“The contribution of plastic food contact articles to human MNP exposure is currently unclear and warrants further investigation.
You can introduce microplastics into your food by simply using your food packaging as intended.
Simple tasks like opening a plastic drink bottle or using a plastic cutting board can shave off tiny particles of common polymers, according to a thorough analysis of 103 scientific studies on microplastic food contamination.
The same way a Persian cat sheds its fur in the spring, so do glass bottles with a plastic gasket, pizza boxes, tea bags, disposable coffee cups, wrappings, and microwaveable plastic containers.
A team from the non-profit Food Packaging Forum in Switzerland, headed by biologist Lisa Zimmermann, claims that the issue is widespread.
Related: Our Brains May Contain More Microplastics Than Our Kidneys and Liver.
“This is the first systematic evidence that foodstuffs packaged in plastics can be contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics during normal and intended use,” Zimmermann told CNN.
We discovered that food packaging is a direct cause of the micro- and nanoplastics found in food. “.
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The more researchers study micro- and nanoplastics, or MNPs, the more we realize how pervasive they have become. Various polymers release these microscopic particles into the environment when they are broken down or used.
Plastic is used in many aspects of modern life, including storage, clothing, and furniture, and it is inexpensive and simple to manufacture. It has become evident in recent decades that it is susceptible to breaking up into smaller pieces that can readily permeate ecosystems despite its resistance to degradation.
Microplastics have been discovered in all parts of the human body, including the placenta. It has been discovered in mice’s fetuses as well as all of their major organs.
Even though the health effects are not promising, we still don’t know much about them. For example, a study conducted last year revealed that patients who had a high concentration of microplastics in their carotid artery plaque had a significantly higher risk of dying.
103 studies that looked into the presence of plastic particles in food and food simulants were reviewed by Zimmermann and her colleagues. They extracted 600 entries about food contact articles from these studies, and 96 percent of them mentioned the presence of MNPs.
These entries were also compiled into a dashboard that can be filtered and searched by anybody. This dashboard enables users to focus on various types of plastic and food contact articles, such as packaging and baby bottles.
Related: Researchers Discover More Microplastics in Glass Bottles.
The researchers discovered something particularly noteworthy: several studies revealed that the quantity of microplastics shed increased with each wash for certain reusable plastic items, like melamine bowls. This implies that the rate at which these objects deteriorate is accelerated by frequent heating and abrasion.
Additionally, the researchers observe that compared to minimally processed food, ultra-processed food has a higher concentration of microplastic. The explanation for this is straightforward: more processing stages expose the product to more plastic food processing equipment, which raises the amount of MNPs in the finished product.
According to the researchers, their results clearly show that more work is needed to reduce the use of plastics in food preparation and packaging, as well as that much more research is necessary.
As stated in their paper, “Our study demonstrates that plastic food contact articles can release MNPs into foodstuffs under intended or foreseeable conditions of use.”.
“More research is necessary because it is currently unclear how plastic food contact items contribute to human MNP exposure. To determine the effects of MNP exposures on human health, more research is also required; however, it is wise to take precautions to reduce human exposure to MNPs, including through food contact items. “.”.
