Microplastics: Degree Of Processing Most Important Variable

[park_bear]

There have been postings here expressing concern about the amount of microplastics in seafood. It turns out the degree of processing is the most important variable affecting the amount of microplastics in food, and in most cases vastly outweighs the source, be it terrestrial or oceanic. Above chart is from Exposure Of U.S. Adults To Microplastics From Commonly-Consumed Proteins, located at: sciencedirect.com/science/a...

Among the minimally processed foods tested, shrimp did have a relatively high amount of microplastics, but the other seafood tested, pollock, was relatively low.

Bottled water is also a highly significant source of microplastics. From: pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2...

"micro-nano plastics in bottled water are analyzed with multidimensional profiling of individual plastic particles. Quantification suggests more than 105 [100,000] particles in each liter of bottled water, the majority of which are nanoplastics"

I replaced my plastic water bottle with a very nice stainless steel model long ago and I'm quite happy with it.

[Smittybear7]

do you drink tapwater? If not, do you have a reverse osmosis system that you would recommend? Thanks for your help.

[park_bear in reply to Smittybear7]

No recommendations to give here.

[Jana86 in reply to Smittybear7]

We had a Kinetico reverse osmosis system with added filters for particulates installed six years ago. It is whole house so water from any tap is free from contaminants, heavy metals, etc. We have had our water tested and it consistently meets EPA standards. This system does require bi-annual service to change filters. The system has required no repairs. Happy to recommend it. We live in Maine; water is from an artesian well; and heavy metals are the biggest problem here.

[Ghmac]

Thank you this Park Bear. I have been reading and thinking a lot about nano plastics. We get our fish from Wild Alaska through the mail, frozen and wrapped in plastic. I was wondering about the portions. I have also been slowly trying to eliminate as many plastic food containers as possible, looking for glass when shopping etc. Just ordered some compostable non plastic bags to use for the refrigerator, and a bamboo tooth brush with castor oil brushes. These small bits of plastic are everywhere, clothing, packaging, furnishings, take out food containers, even the plastic silver ware gives off nano plastics. Just like organics, as the word gets out I hope to see more and more alternatives especially in the food industry.

[Ghmac in reply to Ghmac]

In addition, I just read this morning a study showing NP in all tested macaroni cheese boxes. Which to me connects back to the breaded fish in above graph. It is connected to a special ingredient the FDA has approved. The article I read was about the re-approval which had been protetest by consumers

[park_bear in reply to Ghmac]

Which special ingredient?

[Ghmac in reply to park_bear]

Potentially harmful chemicals called phthalates have been banned from children's teething rings and rubber duck toys for over a decade, but have been found in high concentrations in macaroni and cheese mixes using powdered cheese.

[park_bear in reply to Ghmac]

To clarify this matter, the FDA did not approve these substances as a food ingredient, but as a component of food packaging, and that approval is under review: fda.gov/food/food-ingredien...

[Esperanto]

🙏 By reading the research results, we can no longer claim ignorance. We cannot continue to rely on governments that prioritize short-term policies and focus on keeping voters satisfied. Economic interests often take precedence, and they assume that the consequences will be dealt with in due time. It means that we have to take action ourselves.

[Gcf51]

With the big increase in breaded, how much is in flour. Is all food contaminated.

[Esperanto in reply to Gcf51]

The flour itself is unlikely to be the cause of higher levels of microplastics in breaded products like fish sticks. Instead, as with all processed products, the potential causes include processing materials, machinery, the preparation process, additional ingredients used during preparation, and the quality of the processed products. Additionally, fish sticks are often made from fish byproducts or cheaper fish species, which may already have a higher content of microplastics.

Opting for fresh and unprocessed fish and other food can help reduce exposure to microplastics.

[Gcf51]

Microplastics have been found in human blood and lungs, but it's not yet clear what that means for our health... People will take in more plastic by inhaling or ingesting tiny, invisible plastic fibers floating in the air around them (than fish)... Plastics are made from a complex combination of chemicals, including additives that give them strength and flexibility. Both plastics and chemical additives can be toxic... nationalgeographic.com/envi...