[ad_1]
This gives a whole new meaning to the term "junk food". This week, a study found that tiny plastic particles had been found in stool samples from eight people from countries like the UK.
It was only a matter of time before ubiquitous packaging made its way to the top of the food chain: plastic was identified in fish, water, beer and honey. We are grinding our meals with our expensive sea salt. It's in the microbeads, now banned in the UK, that we commonly find in our skincare products and even in our toothpastes. There is also tire dust in the air, which is released from our clothes by a tumble dryer before settling on dinner plates.
And scientists are not particularly shocked by the latest discoveries. "We know that microplastics are endemic in the environment, in the consumer products we all use and in many species of animals that we consume directly or indirectly. It would therefore be more surprising that they did not detect microplastics in human stools, "says Dr. Peter Jenkins, a consultant toxicologist. "The biggest question is whether there is an effect on health."
Unknown implications
Scientists are divided on the risks that microplastics pose in our digestive system for health. Do these particles pass safely into our digestive system or can nanofibers enter our blood and lymphatic system and spread throughout the body?
Read more:
According to one study, microplastics could affect the hatching of sea turtles and change the number of females born
"What this means for … patients with gastrointestinal diseases is of particular concern," says Philipp Schwabl, who led the study. "Although the highest plastic concentrations in animal studies have been found in the intestine, the smaller microplastic particles are able to penetrate the bloodstream, the lymphatic system and can even reach the liver."
But Dr. Stephanie Wright, a researcher at King's College London, warns that the study has limitations. "The study does not tell us if something is absorbed or accumulates in the body. It is difficult to assess its impact on health, "she says.
"Starch particles have been documented to cross the lining of the human gut. However, the rate of this occurrence is very low, and it is not known if this is true for plastics in humans.
"What may be more worrying is whether the associated chemical contaminants dissolve during the passage of the intestine and accumulate in the tissues."
Smaller than the width of a human hair
Each year, about eight million tonnes of plastic waste are found in our oceans, where they are broken down into tiny particles. Plastic was found in 114 aquatic species, from plankton to whales. In birds, plastic has been shown to damage the intestinal wall, affect iron absorption and stress the liver. It seems that even with a radical food overhaul, these plastics are hard to avoid. The pilot study, conducted by the Vienna Medical University, involved stool samples from three men and five women aged 33 to 65 years. They came from Europe (Finland, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Russia and the United Kingdom) and from Japan. .
Read more:
The scientists studied the diet of European citizens and discovered microplastics in each sample.
Six of the eight participants ate seafood, two chewing gums. They all consumed plastic-wrapped foods during the week-long experience and drank bottled water. More important studies will be needed to determine if any of these lifestyle habits have had a major impact on the amount of plastic we consume.
Then there are the different types of plastics. The Austrian Environmental Agency tested the samples for 10 types of plastics and identified nine. The most common types were polypropylene and PET, which are found in synthetic clothing and food packaging. Some of the particles were smaller than the width of a human hair.
The World Health Organization announced in March that it would launch a study on the risks associated with the presence of plastic in drinking water, after a study by Orb Media was conducted. revealed particles in 11 major brands of drinking water purchased in nine different countries. Some of the bottles tested had a particle count of up to hundreds or even thousands.
"Hitchhiker effect"
It even seems that avoiding plastic bottles is useless – an analysis conducted in 2017 on tap water found in 83% of the samples, raising concern that our ecosystems are not safe. freshwater are as contaminated as our marine ecosystems. And before arriving at an alternative drink: a study conducted in 2014 on German beers displaying microplastics in all samples. It's not the first time the man health problems were raised.
Read more:
The surprising food microplastics are found in
In 2016, the UK government announced the completion of a study on the impact of microplastics in shellfish on health, after a report indicates that a person eating only six oysters could consume 50 plastic particles.
Some experts are also concerned that microplastics may have a "hitch-hopping effect", allowing pathogens or chemicals to stick to it and being transported to parts of the body.
The toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastic packaging and can lining, has also been a concern. It is thought that more than 90% of the world's population has BPA in their urine and that this chemical has been detected in breast milk and umbilical cord blood. The European Chemicals Agency has described her as an "endocrine disruptor", with potential links to cancer and diabetes. But the waters have been confused, so to speak, with hoax reports and controversial studies.
France has banned BPA, but the position of the European Food Safety Authority is that it poses no risk to humans, regardless of age – even unborn children – following a review full scientist in 2015, which he will update this year.
Health risk?
Schwabl warned against jumping to conclusions. "Now that we have the first evidence of microplastics in humans, we need more research to understand what it means for human health."
Read more:
Scientists found microplastics in 11 different brands of bottled water
A spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency said that it was "unlikely" that microplastic levels in the reported foods would do any harm. "Microplastics are present in the environment, both on land and in water, so a presence in food is likely, but that does not necessarily mean that this presence is harmful."
Mary Creagh, MP and Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, said the findings of the study were "the logical conclusion to treat our ocean as a trash bin".
"Ministers must use all the tools in the box to roll back the plastic tide and the Chancellor should use the tax system to reduce the amount of plastic we use once and throw away."
Some experts, however, say do not review your diet for now. "I am not at all surprised or particularly concerned about these results," said Professor Alistair Boxall, professor of environmental science at the University of York, in response to the study of Vienna. "There are some data from laboratory studies on the uptake and effects on non-human animals – but very often these studies are done at very high concentrations.
"It is therefore very difficult to determine whether there is a risk to human health or not."
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are plastic fragments less than 5 mm long. Unlike other pollutants, they do not decompose over time and become sediments that can enter the food chain.
Once at sea, they develop into marine life, with effects on health, growth, behavior and reproduction. They can also carry a toxic load of other pollutants on their surfaces.
Particles are used in many cosmetic and personal care products, including exfoliants, soaps, lotions and toothpastes. They can also be found in substances used by the oil and gas industry, such as demulsifiers and corrosion inhibitors, chemical additives that help preserve iron and steel.
Source link
