OK - I agree that microplastics, broadly speaking, are a potential issue we need to be concerned about in society, and even individually (i.e. not microwaving food in plastic containers)…
But I’m also going to be a little contrarian perhaps and say that I’ve yet to see any evidence that these micro-plastics are causing significant lifespan or health span issues in us now.
I think we have to be a little careful because we can find research that suggests virtually anything we might want to eat has potentially some sort of negative impact when eaten at some quantity and frequency.
Most of us here are already extreme outliers when it comes to attention we pay to of diet and longevity regimen.
Its a fine line between eating disorders and being highly conscious of nutritional aspects of our diet.
I think, given the potential to go overboard here. So I’m just encouraging people not worry too much about something until we have some good evidence that something negatively impacts health and longevity.
I haven’t seen any evidence that microplastics are harmful either. But at the same time there’s a small cost to use and microwave glass containers with food rather than plastic containers, for example. So it doesn’t matter if there wasn’t a problem in the first place.
Yearly estimates were not determined for wooden boards, though the researchers reported that these items sloughed off 4 to 22 times more microparticles than plastic ones in different tests**.
But even though many microparticles formed, the researchers found that polyethylene microplastics and wood microparticles released when chopping carrots didn’t appear to significantly change mouse cells’ viability in lab tests. While plastic cutting boards are easy to clean, the researchers conclude that other options could be used to reduce potential microplastic contamination in foods.
y’know, simply living near a tree or working with lots of wood/being exposed to wood products… also exposes you to sticky/pointy wood that bioaccumulates in cells… and does not decay. Wood also tends to be “sticky/pointy” and can puncture cell membranes… Similarly, having a dog/cat exposes you to dog/cat hair that could bioaccumulate in your cells… The shape of the microparticle matters, and wood/hair is possibly more problematic than most microplastics on this dimension…
Deer are particularly imporant on this dimension becuase they eat wood/stems/bark, so do they bioaccumulate it? It’s interesting because I was a deer before I became a parrot
My dogs eliminate the middle man and just eat plastic.
Perhaps some good news in this area:
UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water
Could plants be the answer to the looming threat of microplastic pollution? Scientists at UBC’s BioProducts Institute found that if you add tannins—natural plant compounds that make your mouth pucker if you bite into an unripe fruit—to a layer of wood dust, you can create a filter that traps virtually all microplastic particles present in water.
While the experiment remains a lab set-up at this stage, the team is convinced that the solution can be scaled up easily and inexpensively once they find the right industry partner.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic debris resulting from the breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste. Keeping them out of water supplies is a huge challenge, says Dr. Orlando Rojas, the institute’s scientific director and the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Forest Bioproducts.
For their study, the team analyzed microparticles released from popular tea bags made of polypropylene. They found that their method (they’re calling it “bioCap”) trapped from 95.2 per cent to as much as 99.9 per cent of plastic particles in a column of water, depending on plastic type. When tested in mouse models, the process was proved to prevent the accumulation of microplastics in the organs.
Full story:
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/08/16/microplastics-ubc-bio-based-filter/
Paper:
Flowthrough Capture of Microplastics through Polyphenol-Mediated Interfacial Interactions on Wood Sawdust
What are you replacing things with to reduce microplastics a bit? I just bought a bunch of toothbrush heads for an electric toothbrush and now I realize they probably release a lot of microplastics as they get worn down.
Do you use silicone? What do you use for cookware? No non-stick pans? No plastic clothing? Do you put your supplements in glass or stainless steel jars?
I don’t think these things are inert as (1) they are small (2) they are physical (3) which means it can be lodged and cause damage in tissues. I already know how apoB particles, or PM 2.5 particles can do damage, I have a hard time seeing why plastic particles wouldn’t do the same.
Yeah that’s why I just bought bamboo brushes
Semaglutide is the ultimate microplastic reducer
I just bought stainless steel pan as I threw my last one out as it was heavy. Tri-Clad construction this time as recommended by NYT. Can’t do non-stick as apparently it releases a lot of microplastics.
Do you try and avoid plastic clothing, sleeping stuff, etc?
I can’t believe the Gretas were accidentally right about plastic straws.
Carpet seems pretty dumb. Clothing is close behind. I’m thinking the very small microplastic in the air comes from burning plastic. I used to think burning it got rid of it. Maybe not all.
I’m trying to reduce plastics in my life, including some of the things you mentioned, but we will always have to deal with some plastics. I trying to keep them at a lower level in the most frequently used rooms of my house, but there seems little doubt that the number one place to reduce them is the kitchen.
Of course, I just pick the low hanging fruit or do easy trades. I can use a stainless steel pan, or brush my teeth with a bamboo or silicon electric toothbrush. Just like I can replace some refined grains with whole grains, or use lower sodium salt for seasoning. Whatever has a low cost and potential benefit, becoming neurotic about it will not be worth it.
I think using a vaccum cleaner relatively often, as recommended 1 time a week, is important as well. With a filter of course.
As well as replacing plastics with non-plastics if possible.
The microplastics that are shedding become dust, then the dust can be inhaled or find itself on the food.
I recognized this because I counted at least 10 what looked to be microplastics on my food plate, I think this is mostly from my clothing which got on the plate when I was cooking, but most are probably cotton. I am going to cook with the lid on from now on.
Is cotton fiber really more benign than, say, polyethylene/polypropylene fibers? At least in human cells where it doesn’t break down like it does in the ocean system?
Unless it’s polystyrene, it’s the shape of the “polymer” that matters way more than composition.
Cotton fiber (T-shirt) sheds soo much and gets everywhere. My white desk is full with what looks to be ‘microplastics’ over time. I think that you might be right that it isn’t more benign, since I think microplastics are inert, but still small physical objects that hurt tissues in the body.
“Cotton dust”
Cotton dust is classified according to size of particle-like trash (above 50 µm in diameter), dust (50–500 µm), micro dust (15–50 µm), and breathable dust (15 µm). Particles with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm and ≥0.1 µm are called fine particulates and are sedimented out in the gas-exchange region of the lung, where air movement is slow. These particles tend to be remained in the respiratory bronchioles within the central part of the acinus.
I don’t know if breathable dust is created from cotton shirts. But the particle-like trash is for sure.
What would be the alternative?
I am looking at a few fabrics that doesn’t pill much, linen and silks seems to be at the top of the list:
Shedding is the final form of pilling, when small fibres after formed into ball etc on the clothes, is loose. These travel in the air obviously as they are very light, can be inhaled. Might release breathable dust or fine particulates at some stage?
Does the pilling happen on a microscopic level as well? And thus skipping thus certain stages?
I probably am going to buy some linen t-shirts and pants, and maybe even hand wash them as the washing machine can lead to pilling. Or use a low settings and not use a tumble dryer.
Linen sheets are made from flax fibers, which are thicker and longer than cotton fibers. This is why linen is more durable and breathable than cotton. However, these same qualities can also cause linen to shed, particularly when new
Yes it will shed, but less so than cotton. Are you looking for clothes that don’t shed / release something possible bad? I will look also, but if there isn’t there is the least worse alternative.
Any air purifier will do, I recommend something from NYT wirecutter… as well as an oversized version so it can be run on low (lower noise).
Linen clothes will also last longer than cotton clothes.
Regarding microplastics in general I will just say “I love microplastics!”, this meditation will help with positive valance and not make me worry about dust going into my food and being neurotic about it. I am ok with dusty food. Impossible to avoid unless living in a semiconductor fab.