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Direct Headline: Microplastic Contamination of the Food Supply Chain
By Ramakrishnan Nara Dr. December 14, 2018
.... microplastics are small plastic pieces less than 5 mm long that can be harmful to marine and freshwater organisms. A variety of sources have been cited for microplastic pollution, such as dumping of plastic waste into the oceans that degrades slowly and the use of microbeads as exfoliants in beauty products. Because of their tiny size, these pollutants escape water filtration systems and end up either in the oceans or in other water bodies, and cause serious environmental and food safety concerns. Extensive and indiscriminate use of food packages and drink bottles, synthetic textiles, car tires, paints, personal care products (e.g., facial cleaners, toothpaste), and electronic equipment is also one of the main contributors to microplastic contamination of the environment and food chain.....
..... the consumption of plastics worldwide has been increasing at an alarming rate. North America consumes approximately 100 kg/person of plastic each year, mostly in the form of packaging, as opposed to 20 kg/person in Asia. The global production of plastics was 335 million metric tons in 2016.....] more than 8 million tons of plastic leak into the ocean each year—equal to dumping a garbage truck-load of plastic every minute. Also, plastics for recycling are shipped to less-developed countries for reprocessing; they become an important source of air and water pollution.....
....Chemically, plastic is a polymer....to improve the properties of plastic materials, numerous chemicals, such as fillers, plasticizers, colorants, stabilizers, and processing aids, are used. These chemicals are also relevant for polluting the food supply chain.....When we assess the impact of microplastics on the food supply, we must make a distinction between primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are those materials that were originally manufactured to be that size. On the other hand, secondary microplastics are degradation products of plastic materials from larger items.... Ingestion of water contaminated with microplastics is the main exposure route for several marine and freshwater species.....
.... However, it has been established that microplastics enter the food chain when animals eat or ingest contaminated food materials. The food web is extremely complex. Zooplankton, the microscopic sea organisms at the bottom of the food chain, is eaten by all kinds of fish. Fish ingest small pieces of plastic due to their continuous uptake of water. Microplastics get into the next level of the food chain when other animals eat fish contaminated with microplastics. Eventually, microplastics move all the way up to the top of the food chain....Once consumed by plankton, these contaminants are passed through the food chain to small fish and eventually to humans. While their impact on human health is currently debated, high volumes of microplastics in rats have been found to cause cancer.....
https://www.food-safety.com/articles/6053-microplastic-contamination-of-the-food-supply-chain
Direct Headline: How Much Microplastic Am I Eating? And Is There Any Way to Avoid It?
BY ALI FRANCIS October 5, 2022
....Since its invention in the early 1900s, synthetic plastic production has grown exponentially. We made 1.7 million tons in 1950 and now manufacture more than 400 million tons annually. In shipments alone, the plastics industry generated over $600 billion in 2021. And shoppers around the world buy a million plastic bottles every minute and use 5 trillion plastic grocery bags every year. What makes the material so commercially attractive is also what makes it so concerning for human and environmental health....Microplastic waste is now so ubiquitous that snow in the Arctic and dust in remote deserts both carry substantial amounts. And even smaller nanoplastics are suspended in the air we breathe, floating in the oceans we fish, and found inside the fruits, vegetables, and packaged goods we eat....
Which foods contain microplastics?....“They’re in everything you eat or drink,” says Mason. But the largest dietary source of microplastics can be found in drinking water. One 2018 study by Mason and her team discovered plastic particles in 93% of bottled water samples. Another from the year before found 83% of tap water samples from around the world contained microplastics. (The United States was the worst off, with a 94% rate of tap water contamination.)...Other studies have found microplastics in beer, wines with polyethylene stoppers, rice, table salts, and honey. Microplastics can even be found in fruits and vegetables—like apples, broccoli, and carrots—with plants able to absorb nanoplastics through their root systems....
....Some scientists have estimated the average person might eat 5 grams of microplastics in a week—about the weight of a credit card. Another study breaks that down to up to 52,000 particles annually from various food sources. These figures, which only take into account microplastic particles, are likely underestimated....All this dietary plastic is showing up in our bodies. Research on human poop found 20 bits of microplastic in every 10 grams of “excreta” when testing eight international “samples.” In a study on pregnant rats, Stapleton and her team discovered that plastic nanoparticles inhaled by mothers were translocated to the fetus and placenta within 24 hours of exposure. And microplastics have also been discovered in human lung, liver, spleen, and kidney tissue.... Inhaling airborne microplastic fibers has been shown to cause respiratory inflammation in some people.... A 2020 study on male mice also discovered that ingesting microplastics can affect reproduction. And microplastics are known to contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which can interfere with the body’s hormones and potentially lead to brain, immune, and other health problems....
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/microplastics-food
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/08/microplastics-damage-human-cells-study-plastic
VIDEO: Dr. Shanna Swan on How Plastics in Food are Affecting Our Hormone Levels Powerful JRE Apr 21, 2021 #1638
Microplastics can also come from car tires. Plastic dust is created by the friction between the wheels and the road and is blown into waterways by the wind. Car tires shed 20 grams of plastic dust every 100 kilometers. Coca-Cola, with more than 500 brands, sells more than 100 billion plastic bottles every year. This equates to 200,000 bottles a minute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1B44VmZFiI
VIDEO: Is It Possible to Be Completely Free of Plastic? Powerful JRE Mar 31, 2022 #1799
....microplastics were revealed in the placentas of unborn babies, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern”. In October, scientists showed that babies fed formula milk in plastic bottles were swallowing millions of particles a day. ...Polyester, nylon, acrylic, and other synthetic fibers — all of which are forms of plastic — are now about 60 percent of the material that makes up our clothes worldwide....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrCsbkkKLY0
www.forbes.com
www.plasticsoupfoundation.org
www.vox.com
********
“He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground-foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
“Cancer now literally rains down from the sky.”
- Anthony T. Hincks
Here is another topic that is designed to increase discussion and participation in the FFA.
I see this as an interesting topic because this issue impacts everyone on the planet. No matter what you believe, where you go, what you think - all this plastic is in our food, our water, our clothes, in the air and in every aspect of our daily lives. This topic is broad enough where I believe there can be a lot of interesting discussion without having to delve into public policy nor other controversial public administration subthemes.
How do you feel about the microplastics problem in our society? What do you think can be done? What should be done? Can anyone, at this point, avoid any of this or a large portion of this? Do you believe this issue is shaving years off your lifespan? Are you concerned about the increasing level of environmental type risk here for your children? What area of this issue concerns you the most?
I'll leave this here for others to discuss. (15/30)
By Ramakrishnan Nara Dr. December 14, 2018
.... microplastics are small plastic pieces less than 5 mm long that can be harmful to marine and freshwater organisms. A variety of sources have been cited for microplastic pollution, such as dumping of plastic waste into the oceans that degrades slowly and the use of microbeads as exfoliants in beauty products. Because of their tiny size, these pollutants escape water filtration systems and end up either in the oceans or in other water bodies, and cause serious environmental and food safety concerns. Extensive and indiscriminate use of food packages and drink bottles, synthetic textiles, car tires, paints, personal care products (e.g., facial cleaners, toothpaste), and electronic equipment is also one of the main contributors to microplastic contamination of the environment and food chain.....
..... the consumption of plastics worldwide has been increasing at an alarming rate. North America consumes approximately 100 kg/person of plastic each year, mostly in the form of packaging, as opposed to 20 kg/person in Asia. The global production of plastics was 335 million metric tons in 2016.....] more than 8 million tons of plastic leak into the ocean each year—equal to dumping a garbage truck-load of plastic every minute. Also, plastics for recycling are shipped to less-developed countries for reprocessing; they become an important source of air and water pollution.....
....Chemically, plastic is a polymer....to improve the properties of plastic materials, numerous chemicals, such as fillers, plasticizers, colorants, stabilizers, and processing aids, are used. These chemicals are also relevant for polluting the food supply chain.....When we assess the impact of microplastics on the food supply, we must make a distinction between primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are those materials that were originally manufactured to be that size. On the other hand, secondary microplastics are degradation products of plastic materials from larger items.... Ingestion of water contaminated with microplastics is the main exposure route for several marine and freshwater species.....
.... However, it has been established that microplastics enter the food chain when animals eat or ingest contaminated food materials. The food web is extremely complex. Zooplankton, the microscopic sea organisms at the bottom of the food chain, is eaten by all kinds of fish. Fish ingest small pieces of plastic due to their continuous uptake of water. Microplastics get into the next level of the food chain when other animals eat fish contaminated with microplastics. Eventually, microplastics move all the way up to the top of the food chain....Once consumed by plankton, these contaminants are passed through the food chain to small fish and eventually to humans. While their impact on human health is currently debated, high volumes of microplastics in rats have been found to cause cancer.....
https://www.food-safety.com/articles/6053-microplastic-contamination-of-the-food-supply-chain
Direct Headline: How Much Microplastic Am I Eating? And Is There Any Way to Avoid It?
BY ALI FRANCIS October 5, 2022
....Since its invention in the early 1900s, synthetic plastic production has grown exponentially. We made 1.7 million tons in 1950 and now manufacture more than 400 million tons annually. In shipments alone, the plastics industry generated over $600 billion in 2021. And shoppers around the world buy a million plastic bottles every minute and use 5 trillion plastic grocery bags every year. What makes the material so commercially attractive is also what makes it so concerning for human and environmental health....Microplastic waste is now so ubiquitous that snow in the Arctic and dust in remote deserts both carry substantial amounts. And even smaller nanoplastics are suspended in the air we breathe, floating in the oceans we fish, and found inside the fruits, vegetables, and packaged goods we eat....
Which foods contain microplastics?....“They’re in everything you eat or drink,” says Mason. But the largest dietary source of microplastics can be found in drinking water. One 2018 study by Mason and her team discovered plastic particles in 93% of bottled water samples. Another from the year before found 83% of tap water samples from around the world contained microplastics. (The United States was the worst off, with a 94% rate of tap water contamination.)...Other studies have found microplastics in beer, wines with polyethylene stoppers, rice, table salts, and honey. Microplastics can even be found in fruits and vegetables—like apples, broccoli, and carrots—with plants able to absorb nanoplastics through their root systems....
....Some scientists have estimated the average person might eat 5 grams of microplastics in a week—about the weight of a credit card. Another study breaks that down to up to 52,000 particles annually from various food sources. These figures, which only take into account microplastic particles, are likely underestimated....All this dietary plastic is showing up in our bodies. Research on human poop found 20 bits of microplastic in every 10 grams of “excreta” when testing eight international “samples.” In a study on pregnant rats, Stapleton and her team discovered that plastic nanoparticles inhaled by mothers were translocated to the fetus and placenta within 24 hours of exposure. And microplastics have also been discovered in human lung, liver, spleen, and kidney tissue.... Inhaling airborne microplastic fibers has been shown to cause respiratory inflammation in some people.... A 2020 study on male mice also discovered that ingesting microplastics can affect reproduction. And microplastics are known to contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which can interfere with the body’s hormones and potentially lead to brain, immune, and other health problems....
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/microplastics-food
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/08/microplastics-damage-human-cells-study-plastic
VIDEO: Dr. Shanna Swan on How Plastics in Food are Affecting Our Hormone Levels Powerful JRE Apr 21, 2021 #1638
Microplastics can also come from car tires. Plastic dust is created by the friction between the wheels and the road and is blown into waterways by the wind. Car tires shed 20 grams of plastic dust every 100 kilometers. Coca-Cola, with more than 500 brands, sells more than 100 billion plastic bottles every year. This equates to 200,000 bottles a minute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1B44VmZFiI
VIDEO: Is It Possible to Be Completely Free of Plastic? Powerful JRE Mar 31, 2022 #1799
....microplastics were revealed in the placentas of unborn babies, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern”. In October, scientists showed that babies fed formula milk in plastic bottles were swallowing millions of particles a day. ...Polyester, nylon, acrylic, and other synthetic fibers — all of which are forms of plastic — are now about 60 percent of the material that makes up our clothes worldwide....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrCsbkkKLY0
Study Says Up to 75% Of Plastics From Detergent Pods Enter The Environment, Industry Says They Safely Biodegrade
They leak large amounts of untreated PVA that can potentially enter groundwater resources and water systems and contaminate the human food chain, according to a literature review by researchers with Arizona State University and the California nonprofit Plastic Oceans International.
www.forbes.com
Coca-Cola Broken Promises on Plastic Bottles - Plastic Soup Foundation
Coca-Cola pledges that one-quarter of all its plastic bottles will be refillable in 2030. But what is that pledge worth? Read here.
www.plasticsoupfoundation.org
More than ever, our clothes are made of plastic. Just washing them can pollute the oceans.
How much plastic is your washing machine sending out to sea?
www.vox.com
********
“He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground-foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
“Cancer now literally rains down from the sky.”
- Anthony T. Hincks
Here is another topic that is designed to increase discussion and participation in the FFA.
I see this as an interesting topic because this issue impacts everyone on the planet. No matter what you believe, where you go, what you think - all this plastic is in our food, our water, our clothes, in the air and in every aspect of our daily lives. This topic is broad enough where I believe there can be a lot of interesting discussion without having to delve into public policy nor other controversial public administration subthemes.
How do you feel about the microplastics problem in our society? What do you think can be done? What should be done? Can anyone, at this point, avoid any of this or a large portion of this? Do you believe this issue is shaving years off your lifespan? Are you concerned about the increasing level of environmental type risk here for your children? What area of this issue concerns you the most?
I'll leave this here for others to discuss. (15/30)
