EXPOSED: TOLL OF PLASTIC WE EAT AND BREATHE
Mail probe finds airborne plastic particles in EVERY sample of shop-bought fish tested
THE alarming spread of the airborne plastics we eat and inhale can be revealed today.
A Daily Mail investigation found that shop-bought food is widely tainted with potentially dangerous particles that float in the air. it had been thought the risk to health was largely limited to eating fish from oceans polluted with plastic. But the leading scientist who oversaw our investigation said microplastics had become ‘ part of the air we breathe’. MPs said the findings – from the first UK study into airborne plastic food contamination – were shocking. experts warn that ingesting the particles can damage lungs, poison kidneys and interfere with hormones. The microplastics can even travel across a mother’s placenta.
As the Chief Medical Officer for england warned the health consequences were ‘unquantified’:
Our laboratory study found airborne particles on every sample of fish from the eight major supermarkets;
it means food from any open counter,
including delis, bakeries and market stalls, is vulnerable to contamination;
A report from four parliamentary committees demanded action against our ‘poisonous air’;
Leading microplastics experts said that ‘we just don’t know’ how dangerous the particles may be.
The Mail’s research follows the ten-year anniversary of this newspaper’s first campaign against plastic pollution.
For the study, we supplied fresh fillets of cod and salmon to a laboratory at the University of Portsmouth.
On one sample, scientists found a worrying 139 pieces of plastic for every 240g of fillet. The average for salmon was 75 pieces and for cod 72.
The particles were too large to have passed from the gut into the flesh of the fish. The Portsmouth scientists concluded instead that the plastics came from airborne contamination – something shops have no control over.
They said that while the oceans remained the overall ‘sink’ for microplastics, there might be even more of them in the air.
Dr Natalie Welden, who led the research, said the findings had major implications for any uncovered food.
‘Having food exposed to particles in the air for an extended period will result in a higher amount of plastic,’ she added.
‘Organisms that are exposed to air and are either not cleaned or rinsed as part of the packing process are exposed. The pool of plastics that’s out there forming airborne particles is huge.
‘It’s a symptom of endemic plastic use throughout our culture as a whole.’
Dr Welden said washing the fillets prior to cooking might help. But she added: ‘They will also be exposed to microplastics in the home.’
The particles recovered from the fish fillets were between 0.25mm and 1mm long. They were mainly fibres from textiles used in clothing, carpets or furniture.
Dr Welden, who has studied microplastics for six years, added: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not building up in the air in the same way as in the oceans. They will be fragmenting and still not going away.
‘We have no knowledge on what a healthy level of airborne microplastics contamination would be. Some of the stuff that we’re putting out there may have a detrimental effect.’
She compared airborne microplastics to the CFC carbons in fridges that caused the hole in the ozone layer.
‘Originally nobody really cared until it was traced back to having a negative impact on human health and all of sudden everybody got really active’, she said.
Professor Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer, warned in her annual report this month of the dangers of humans ingesting microplastics – whether by inhaling them or eating contaminated food.
In her comments, which have not been reported until today, she said there was a risk of gut blockages and hormone problems from chemicals leaking out of the microplastics and into the body.
‘The human consequences of exposure to these microplastics are largely unquantified,’ said Dame Sally. ‘ It is unknown if [microplastics ingestion] translates into meaningful exposure in the population. ‘Nevertheless, the burden in the environment should not be further increased.’
Zac Goldsmith, a Tory member of the Commons environmental audit committee, said: ‘This shocking investigation by the Daily Mail shows that this is not a remote problem when microplastics are found in the air we breathe and the food we eat.
‘We have seen some initiative on plastic bags, microbeads and other single use plastics, but that is a start, not the end. We need to wage war against plastic pollution.
‘Every department of government has a role to play.’
Mary Creagh, the Labour chairman of the committee, said: ‘Our inquiry into microplastics recommended research into their impact on people’s health.
‘The work by the Chief Medical Officer is ongoing and needs to look at these disturbing new results. Ministers must act swiftly to tackle plastic pollution from every source.’
Frank Kelly, an expert in environmental health at King’s College London, gave evidence to MPs on airborne microplastics last year.
He told them: ‘If you can breathe them in, they could potentially deliver chemicals to lower parts of our lungs, maybe even across into our circulation in the same way we worry about vehicle emissions.’
Professor Kelly told the Mail that research into microplastics- contaminated food ‘has not yet taken place but is urgently needed given the ubiquitous nature of microplastics in society’.
He added: ‘Observations from the marine environment suggest harmful effects do occur.’ The supermarkets we purchased the fish fillets from directed our inquiries to the British Retail Consortium, saying it was an industrywide issue.
‘Food safety is a top priority for UK retailers,’ said a BRC spokesman last night.
‘The presence of microplastics is a global issue and involves all parts of
the supply chain. More work is necessary to fully assess the risk and determine suitable control measures.’
Earlier this week MPs on four Commons committees – including transport and health – said they wanted a new clean air act, declaring pollution ‘a national emergency’.
And the World Health Organisation has launched a review into airborne plastic contamination of bottled water after microplastics were found in samples from nine countries across 11 different brands.
In his spring statement last week Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged £20million for the development of green technologies to combat the menace of plastic waste.
IT began as a Mail investigation into the extent to which fresh fish on shop counters is contaminated by microplastics.
It ended with truly chilling evidence that these tiny plastic fragments are everywhere – in the air we breathe, as well as the food we eat – with potentially terrifying consequences for health.
Plastic pollution is well known to be an appalling problem in our oceans, with particles being routinely ingested by marine life. Our investigation was intended to establish how much is being passed up the food chain.
But while microplastics were found on all the samples tested in our study, scientists concluded it was not due to ingestion. The contamination could only have come from the air – after the fish had been caught.
Incredibly, we also discovered that although the Chief Medical Officer recently warned of ‘unquantified consequences’ to health as a result of airborne microplastics (effects could include damage to unborn children through the mother’s placenta), almost no research has been done.
For ten years, the Mail has campaigned passionately against the scourge of plastic. In that time we’ve seen an 80 per cent drop in the use of plastic bags and a ban on toxic microbeads. A further ban is promised on plastic straws and coffee chains are switching from plastic- lined cups to reusable. We are hugely proud of our part in this astonishing transformation.
But if a reminder were needed that the task is far from over, it’s provided by this deeply disturbing investigation.
No more complacency. Exhaustive research into the health dangers of microplastics must start now and action taken to cut the amount we breathe and eat.
Society is hooked on plastic and it’s causing us great harm. We must learn to break the addiction.