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Plastic pervasive in food supply, says new study:
Micro and nanoplastics are pervasive in our food supply and may be affecting food safety and security on a global scale, a new study led by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, has found.
The study is one of the first to analyze the academic literature on microplastics from a food safety and food security risk viewpoint, building on past studies which primarily tracked plastics in fish.
It shows that plastics and their additives are present at a range of concentrations not only in fish but in many products including meat, chicken, rice, water, take-away food and drink, and even fresh produce.
CSIRO analytical chemist, food safety specialist and lead author of the paper, Dr. Jordi Nelis, said these plastics enter the human food chain through numerous pathways, such as ingestion as shown in the fish studies, but one of the main ways is through food processing and packaging. The research is published in the journal TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry.
[...] There are currently no definitive studies that demonstrate micro and nanoplastics in the environment cause harm to humans, however more research is needed to fully understand health effects.
[...] "The key missing information is determining safe levels of microplastics. We currently don't know exactly what the microplastic flux through the food system is or which levels can be considered safe," Dr. Nelis said.
Journal Reference:
Joost L.D. Nelis et al, The measurement of food safety and security risks associated with micro- and nanoplastic pollution, TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2023.116993
(Score: 1) by shrewdsheep on Tuesday May 23, @08:24AM
I believe the smaller part of the wear debris is being eaten, while the majority of stuff is ground away in the dishwasher or by aggressive treatment of non-adhesive surfaces. I do agree with your general sentiment, though. I do use plastic for storing left-overs and I do not have a reasonable replacement for that. You are absolutely right about the grease, though I do not see this as a problem. The grease being fatty dissolves in the plastic which is not nice but also not problematic as long as the plastic is cleaned to not leave grease on a paper towel.