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Sunday 28 October 2018

Microplastics in our food

For the Plastics Week in Sidmouth earlier in the year, we had a very enlightening session on 'microbeads' from Plymouth University:
Futures Forum: Plastics Week in Sidmouth > Presentations and Q&As on marine pollution from Plymouth University >>> Imogen Napper on "The sources and fate of plastic in the marine environment" > microbeads and micro fibres at sea
Futures Forum: Plastics Week in Sidmouth: and Plymouth University >>> microbeads, microfibres & getting us to learn about plastics >>> report

The weekend i newspaper looked at the latest research: 

Microplastics are ending up on our dinner plates – but scientists aren’t shocked

Latest research into microplastics in the ecosystem found tiny particles in human faeces


Microplastics are ending up in our food

Friday October 26th 2018

It gives a whole new meaning to the term “junk food”. This week, a study revealed that tiny plastic particles were found in the stool samples of eight people from countries including the UK.

It was only a matter of time before the ubiquitous packaging found its way to the top of the food chain: plastic has been identified in fish, water, beer and honey. We’re grinding it on to our meals along with our expensive sea salt. It’s in the microbeads, now banned in the UK, that have been commonly found in our skincare products and even toothpaste. It’s also in the air in tyre dust, and released from our clothes by tumble dryers before settling on dinner plates.

And scientists aren’t particularly shocked by the latest findings. “We know that microplastics are endemic in the environment, in consumer products we all use, and in many different species of animals that we consume directly or indirectly, so it would be more surprising if they had not detected microplastics in human stools,” says Dr Peter Jenkins, a consultant toxicologist. “The bigger question is whether there is an effect on health.”

Unknown implications

Scientists are divided on the health risk of microplastics in our digestive systems. Do these particles pass harmlessly through our digestive systems, or can nanofibres permeate into our blood and lymph system, spreading throughout the body?

Read more:
Microplastics could affect sea turtle hatching and alter number of females born, says study


“Of particular concern is what this means to… patients with gastrointestinal diseases,” says Philipp Schwabl, who led the study. “While the highest plastic concentrations in animal studies have been found in the gut, the smallest microplastic particles are capable of entering the bloodstream, lymphatic system and may even reach the liver.”

But Dr Stephanie Wright, a research fellow at King’s College London, cautions that there are limitations to the study. “The study doesn’t tell us if anything is being absorbed or accumulating in the body. So it’s hard to assess what health impact it might be having,” she says.

“Starch particles have been documented to cross the human gut wall. However, the rate of this occurring is very low, and whether this is true for plastics in humans is unknown.

“What may be of greater concern is whether any associated chemical contaminants leach off during gut passage and accumulate in tissues.”

Smaller than the width of a human hair

Every year about eight million tons of plastic waste ends up in our oceans, where it is broken down into minuscule particles. Plastic has been found in 114 aquatic species, from plankton to whales. In birds, plastic was shown to cause damage to the intestinal wall, affecting iron absorption and stressing the liver. It would appear that, even with a drastic dietary overhaul, these plastics are difficult to avoid. The pilot study, by the Medical University of Vienna, took stool samples from three men and five women, aged 33 to 65. They came from Europe – Finland, Austria, Holland, Italy, Poland, Russia and the UK – and one from Japan.

Read more:
Scientists studied the diets of people across Europe – and found microplastics in every single sample


Six of the eight participants ate seafood, two chewed gum. They all consumed food that had been packaged in plastic over the course of the week-long experiment, and drank bottled water. Larger studies will be needed to determine whether any of these lifestyle habits had a major impact on the amount of plastic we consume.

Then there are the different types of plastic. Austria’s Environmental Agency tested the samples for 10 types of plastic, and identified nine in the subjects. The most ubiquitous types were polypropylene and PET, which are found in synthetic clothing and food wrappers. Some of the particles were smaller than the width of a human hair.

The World Health Organisation announced in March that it would launch a review into risks of plastic in drinking water, after a study by Orb Media found particles in 11 major brands of drinking water bought in nine different countries. Some of the bottles tested had particle counts ranging into the hundreds or even thousands.

‘Hitch-hiking effect’

It appears even avoiding plastic bottles is pointless – a 2017 analysis of tap water found plastic in 83 per cent of samples, sparking concern that our freshwater ecosystems are as contaminated as our marine ones. And before you reach for an alternative beverage: a 2014 study of German beers found microplastics in all the samples. It isn’t the first time that human health concerns have been raised.

Read more:
The surprising food microplastics are being found in


In 2016, the UK Government announced that it would carry out a study into the health impact of microplastics in shellfish, after a report indicated that someone eating just six oysters could be consuming 50 particles of plastic.

Some experts also fear that microplastic may have a “hitch-hiking effect”, allowing pathogens or chemicals to stick to them and be carried to parts of the body.

There have also been concerns surrounding the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastic packaging and the lining of food cans. More than 90 per cent of the world’s population are thought to have BPA in their urine, and the chemical has been detected in breast milk and umbilical cord blood. The European Chemicals Agency has labelled it an “endocrine disruptor”, with potential links to cancer and diabetes. But the waters have been muddied, so to speak, with hoax reports and disputed studies.

France has banned BPA, but the European Food Safety Authority’s position is that it poses no risk to humans at any age – even unborn children – in the wake of a full scientific review in 2015, which it will update this year.

Health risk?

Schwabl cautioned against jumping to conclusions. “Now that we have the first evidence for microplastics inside humans, we need further research to understand what this means for human health.”

Read more:
Scientists have found microplastics in 11 different brands of bottled water


A Food Standards Agency spokesman says it is “unlikely” that the reported levels of microplastics in food would cause harm. “Microplastics are present in the environment, both on land and in water, therefore some presence in food is likely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this presence is harmful.”

Mary Creagh MP, chairwoman of the Environmental Audit Committee, says the findings of the study are the “logical conclusion of treating our ocean as a dustbin”.

“Ministers must use every tool in the box to turn back the plastic tide, and the Chancellor should use the tax system to reduce the amount of plastic we use once and throw away.”

Some experts, however, say don’t overhaul your diet just yet. “I’m not at all surprised or particularly worried by these findings,” Professor Alistair Boxall, professor in environmental science at the University of York, said in response to the Vienna study. “There are some data from laboratory studies on uptake and effects on non-human animals – but quite often, these studies are done at very high concentrations.

“It is, therefore, really hard to conclude whether there is a risk to human health or not.”

What are microplastics?

Microplastics are plastic fragments less than 5mm long. Unlike other pollutants, they do not break down over time and instead turn into sediments that can enter the food chain.

Once in the sea, they build up in marine life, with effects on health, growth, behaviour and reproduction. They can also carry a toxic burden of other pollutants on their surfaces.

The particles are used in many cosmetic and personal care products, including scrubs, soaps, lotions and toothpastes. They can be also found in substances used by the oil and gas industry, such as demulsifiers and corrosion inhibitors, chemical additives that help to preserve iron and steel.


Microplastics are ending up on our dinner plates - but scientists aren’t shocked - inews.co.uk
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