Plastic pa more

After studies showed that plastics are present in our drinking water and table salt, a new research revealed an even more disturbing reality- plastics in our food. Microplastics, those tiny pieces of plastics that are so light they can float in the air, are in our food. This is according to a recently published study in the journal Environmental Pollution.

The study was conducted by researchers from Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University, who found that every meal we eat could contain, on average, more than 100 microplastic particles. They estimate that the average person may consume anywhere between 13,731 and 68,415 microplastic particles each year, simply by eating at home. One of the findings of the study is that there are more plastic in the air in our homes than in seafood coming from habitat known to be flooded with microplastics.

The plastic particles most likely come from synthetic fabrics and soft furnishings, which gradually break down before binding to household dust which eventually finds its way to our food . In previous studies, confirmed sources of microplastics are the washing machine and dryrers. Synthetic textiles like fleece, polyester, Spandex, and acrylic shed fibers with every wash. Our clothes are emitting plastic due to normal wear and tear in the same way a cat sheds fur.

Scientists still don’t know much about the health impact of ingesting microplastics. But there’s a study done by the Food and Drugs Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the conclusion is this: