By SNCW Board Member Rick Edwards
Remember when you first heard that processed products like peanut butter included a tiny fraction of insect parts? I still love a PB & J sandwich any old time. Well, you might have heard that there may be something else lurking in your daily meals…
Research has estimated that we ingest a not insignificant quantity of a wide range of plastic types and related byproducts. One study estimated that we ingest between 0.1 and 5 grams of microplastics each week. However, this estimate has come under scrutiny due to the study's methodology, which combined data from various sources and ignored their varying detection limits. Other studies have estimated much lower amounts, up to 4.1 µg per week. While this is significantly less than the initial estimate, health risks from ingesting microplastics still exist and should be decreased as much as possible.
The potential health effects of inadvertent plastic consumption are poorly understood. Such research is confounded by the wide variety of plastic types, the degree of weathering (breakdown) of those plastics, and the large number of chemicals byproducts that can be released from microplastics as those materials deteriorate. So, how can you reduce your exposure?
One simple thing you can do is reduce or eliminate your use of single-use, plastic water bottles. Instead, buy yourself a nice stainless-steel reusable water bottle. That simple change has several benefits: (1) You no longer have to lug around that case of water bottles from the store, (2) You eliminate the need to recycle---or worse---toss those empty plastic water bottles and (3) You take a positive step to reduce your microplastic exposure. A liter of bottled water can contain as many as 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic, 90% of which are nano plastic fragments.
Another change would be to reduce your consumption of drinks from aluminum cans. That pop that you are drinking is coming from a can lined with a thin layer of plastic. Yes, you read that right---the can is there to maintain the shape of essentially a “plastic drinking bag.” The plastic lining prevents the liquid contents of the can---your favorite soft drink or other beverage---from contaminating the contents with dissolved aluminum. This applies to all beverages packaged in aluminum cans.
You can also take stock of the plastic ware in your kitchen. Could you replace that plastic mixing bowl set with a nice steel one? Mixing bowls are especially important because every time you scrap the side of the bowl it releases microplastic particles.
Consider the age of your plastic kitchen ware. The older these plastic items get, the more they deteriorate in ways that are hard to notice. This fact was driven home to me recently when my daughter-in-law showed me the warning date on a plastic bottle used in a home soda-making machine. The label on the bottle stated, “Discontinue use of this bottle after 1/1/23.” Why? Carbonated drinks are acidic; constant exposure of the interior of the bottle to acidic liquid causes the plastic to deteriorate. Deterioration results in the release of both microplastic particles and chemicals used in the production of that plastic.
These suggestions are not meant to advocate for greater consumption of kitchen items, but rather a suggestion that, as you need to replace items, try avoiding plastic ware whenever a healthier and more durable alternative exists. And maybe those glass bottles we used to drink from were better for us…
What other ways can you think of to reduce your exposure to microplastics in your food or drink? I hope these suggestions help you make healthy and sustainable daily decisions!
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