Tiny plastic particles are ubiquitous in our food, water, and environment. What are the potential harms and what can we do to protect ourselves?
Tiny plastic particles are ubiquitous in our food, water, and environment. What are the potential harms and what can we do to protect ourselves?
Mentioned in this Episode:
Food and human safety: the impact of microplastics (Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition)
Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, a show that helps you put the latest nutrition news and trends into perspective. I’m your host, Monica Reinagel, and today I want to talk about microplastics–a topic that is causing a lot of concern. We’ll talk about where these tiny particles are coming from, review the potential health concerns, and talk about some practical steps you can take to reduce your exposure, as well as advocate for public action.
Microplastics and nanoplastics are tiny particles of plastic that may be used as ingredients in personal care products or come from larger plastic items as they break down.
For example, plastic microbeads are commonly used in as exfoliants in skin care products or toothpaste. Their small size and round shape made them effective in removing dead skin cells, or polishing surface stains from our teeth. In facial cleansers and soaps, microbeads are used to help cleanse the skin more thoroughly by trapping and removing dirt and oil.
Products with microbeads often have a pleasing texture and appearance, which appeal to consumers. The beads can also be formulated in various colors, adding to the visual attractiveness of the products.
Unfortunately, these microbeads have had unintended consequences. Being non-biodegradable, these microbeads can pass through water treatment plants and end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Aquatic organisms can mistake microbeads for food. Once ingested, these beads can cause physical harm and potentially enter the food chain, affecting larger animals and possibly humans.
Microbeads and other primary sources of microplastics account for almost a third of the microplastics in the environment. The rest come from so-called secondary sources–plastic bottles, containers, bags, and packaging materials that leach plastic into the environment as they break down–especially when they are not properly disposed of.
Plastic water or soda bottles that you’ll find littering beaches and streams, for example, degrade and release tiny particles into the water and soil. Even more durable items, like outdoor furniture can release microplastics into the environment when subjected to environmental forces such as rain and UV radiation.
Even our clothes can be a source. Synthetic fibers sUch as polyester, nylon, or Spandex are essentially types of plastic. When clothes made from these materials are washed, the agitation and friction in the washing machine cause tiny fibers to break off and enter wastewater.
Since these fibers are too small to be fully captured by wastewater treatment plants, they often end up in natural water bodies, contributing to environmental microplastic pollution.
The most challenging aspect of this whole situation is the enormous scope of the problem. Plastic is pretty amazing stuff. It’s cheap, light-weight, durable and almost unlimited in its versatility. We’ve been using–and throwing away–an awful lot of plastic over the past several decades. And, unlike other waste, plastic does not readily biodegrade. It hangs around for a long, long time.
Unfortunately, microplastics are now ubiquitous in our soil, ground water and food supply. Although water and other beverages are thought to be the primary source of dietary exposure, microplastics have also been detected in seafood, table salt, honey, processed foods, and even in produce grown in soil with microplastic contamination.
Not surprisingly, a lot of people are pretty alarmed about the situation. While there is currently no conclusive evidence that microplastics cause serious diseases in humans, there's concern about their ability to accumulate in the body and potentially cause inflammation or other health issues.
But this isn't just about individual health; it's a much larger environmental concern. Reducing plastic pollution requires collective action and changes at the industry level. And government and other public agencies are starting to pay attention and consider what might be done to reduce and mitigate the risk.
Initiatives like the US EPA's National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution and California's Statewide Microplastics Strategy aim to reduce plastic pollution, improve waste management, and fund crucial research. And while there’s bipartisan support for addressing microplastic pollution, some industries are pushing back, citing insufficient evidence to justify the costs of new regulations.
However, growing public awareness and concern can help to push the agenda forward. In the meantime, here are some practical steps you can take to reduce your own exposure to microplastics and reduce the amount of microplastics that you are adding to the environment:.
Finally, because this is an issue that can really only be adequately addressed through large-scale policy change, let your representatives know that this is important to you and encourage them to prioritize it.
But try not to worry too much. Although there is cause for concern and action, giving into panic or helplessness is not going to help you or the planet. Focus your energy on doing what you can, and remember that our body has a pretty amazing ability to protect us from environmental hazards–whether they are natural or man-made.
If you have a question you'd like me to answer, you can email me at nutrition@quickanddirtytips.com You can also leave me a message at 443-961-6206
Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast and is supported by a fantastic team, which includes Brannan Goetschius, Nathan Semes, Davina Tomlin, Holly Hutchings, Morgan Christianson, and Kamryn Lacy.
That's all for this episode. Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week.