If you haven't seen or read about this, it's pretty alarming. It's certainly making me scrutinize every aspect of my food prep and storage habits. Particularly the "single-use" ones (PET, PETE) that I tend to re-use.
Video: UNM study finds plastic accumulation in brains increased by 50% - YouTube
I read a different story a week or two ago, or maybe it was about different research, and the researchers found that mice would get an increase in microplastic particles after eating (I don't remember if the food was prepared with added microplastic particles or not). The particles would show up in the brain soon after, and the mices' performance on various tasks that required good brain functioning would decrease until the concentration reduced, sometime after the meal.
The whole thing is very worrying, and I consider nanoparticles to be potentially very dangerous too.
This seems to be the paper which the story I mentioned above was based on. The experimental mice were given injections of microplastics (my memory that the mice ate them must have been wrong).
The horrific part of all this is that, even if we change the things we do, we will still ingest these microplastics. Think of all the things that come ensheathed in plastic: flash drives, newspapers, caramel candies, cheese. Last week, when I bought some bulk rye malt, the only containers the store offered were plastic. Think of all the things made of plastics: carpet, electrical conduit, bread machines, computer cases, tubes of toothpaste. I used to not worry about to-go cups because I thought they were cardboard, but then I learned they are thermally mixed with plastic.
Pogo was right: we have met the enemy and he is us.
Rob
...about to-go cups ...... I learned they are thermally mixed with plastic.
Wow, I just learned that too. From reading your comment, lol. I can't believe that.
Most plastic packaging is type #1 PET/PETE, the infamous PolyEthylene Terephthalate. It is classified as a "single-use" plastic. And yet I frequently re-use it (storing my bread in plastic bags). I have always thought it was ok for cold food storage (no offgassing), but have not considered the particle release aspect. I'm less concerned about #5 Polypropylene.
Flexible plastic bags are almost universally made from LDPE/#4—low-density poly(ethylene).
A lot of rigid and semi-rigid plastic packaging is HDPE/#2—high-density poly(ethylene), as it's cheaper than PETE.
LDPE/#4 is also a single-use plastic...
Just curious…why are you less concerned with polypropylene?
Many dairy and other food containers are PP and I would think would also be considered single-use.
PP/#5 is considered to be basically inert (does not degrade and doesn't recycle easily) and safe for reuse. My experience with PP agrees with that, with one exception: my 8-yo Aeropress coffemaker is PP and has some 'pitting' on the inside. OTOH, my favorite 10-yo yogurt maker has a PP tub and it has no visible signs of wear, degradation, or discoloring. And makes excellent yogurt!
The UNM scientists reported that PP was also found in significant quantities in tissue, including brain tissue.
My own experience as a chemist showed me that PP was not inert. It is more heat-stable than HDPE, but it has about the same chemical resistance properties as HDPE.
My understanding of the issues regarding recycling of PP stem from contamination of the stream (hard to sort) and not the inherent stability of the PP.
Yes, I saw that.
Interesting. I will have to do some digging to find the sources of my (mis?)understanding.
It appears you are correct, alco. PP particles are just as harmful as any of the other plastic types. My generally-positive attitude toward it comes from some of its other uses, especially in electronics (capacitors) and roofing materials (TPO), in both of which it is at or near best-in-class.
Apparently it is commonly used for baby bottles, due to its high-temp stability. But one study I saw found a huge increase in its release of MP particles when exposed to boiling water used to sterilize the bottles. Identical conditions to the Aeropress single-cup coffee maker I have and use. Which will now be retired...
Was right about everything. Unfortunately the awareness level is going to be reduced because there will be no more reporting on much of anything useful scientific wise for the foreseeable future. Rescinding the ban on plastic straws as an example. Reducing NIH funding. Our grandchildren are not getting a fair chance. It breaks my heart to think what a fearful legacy we are leaving them.
Interestingly, one of the worst purveyors of microplastics in our food system are tea bags. Recent studies show betweeen 8 million and 1.2 billion microplastic particles per milliliter are released after exposure to boiling water. They use embedded plastic strands to strengthen the bag, or it is part of their adhesive.
I get most of my bagged teas from Trader Joe's, so I wrote their always-responsive cust service and asked which of their bagged teas contain no plastics. Their reply (edited for length, emphasis mine):
I have read that Yogi and Bigelow are two nat'l (USA) brands that use no plastics in their bags.
I will definitely be buying more bulk/loose teas in the future...
Stash Tea also uses no plastic in their tea bags.
Sewists use the 'burn test' to see what unmarked thread is made of. Cotton turns to ash, while plastic shrinks into hard black little balls.
I did the burn test to a Trader Joe's English Breakfast Tea bag, and am happy to report it left nothing but white-ish ash.
I just switched out my refrigerator water pitcher to glass. And brought a second one to store sun tea. Who knew I had to worry about the tea too.
A good BBC overview on how MP's infiltrate our food systems.
How microplastics are infiltrating the food you eat
We are doomed. Not unlike the disipered Ancient South American people. Here in Az, we have artifacts of the Hopi people. Who knows what lost technology brought about the end of these civilizations??? Too dramatic? Maybe, maybe not.
There's plenty of evidence that climactic changes have been the major driver behind the ending of most civilizations.
Now I feel much more at ease. Smile...