Avoid Plastic in Your Food

Maybe you do your best to recycle plastic as much as you can. Maybe you just don’t care. Either way you might want to take extra notice because chances are that now you could be eating plastic everyday. 

Recent studies show the infiltration of plastic in your food and science is linking the possibility of diseases becoming more prominent as a result of humans eating their own pollution. From joint pain to headaches, plastic in your food could be the culprit. 

50,000+

As plastic continues to remain ubiquitous in just about every human habitat, much of it ends up in nature. Millions of tons of all kinds of plastics have, over time, accumulated not so much en masse but as ground down particles easily leached into our food and water chain.

Research out of the University of Victoria, British Columbia looked at the amount of plastic particles found in salt, beer, sugar, fish, shellfish, water, and urban air as measured in twenty-six previous studies. After researching only 15% of foods found in the American diet which hold various levels of micro-plastics, it was determined that adults ingest approximately 50,000 particles per year. For children it is roughly 40,000. However, this is just the result of food. Add in breathable urban air and the number can rise to 121,000.

More Credit than You Think

You could actually be consuming as much plastic as you have in your wallet. To put it into perspective, another study out of the University of Newcastle in Australia reported that humans are consuming upwards of 2,000 micro-plastics per week, about five grams, which is the equivalent of a credit card. The study was funded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 

According to Marco Lambertini, WWF International Director General,

“These findings must serve as a wake-up call to governments. Not only are plastics polluting our oceans and waterways and killing marine life — it’s in all of us and we can’t escape consuming plastics,”

What Can You Do About It?

The consumption of plastic particles are still being studied as it is an accumulated effect. It may take five, ten, twenty years but it is theorized at this point that from autoimmune diseases to cancer (and so much in between) eating plastic may be the cause. There are ways you may be able to avoid or rid your body of consumed plastics so they do not embed in cells and other parts of your system. Although your body will expel foreign objects such as plastic (found in human feces), it is the microscopic particles that are small enough to permeate into the blood stream. These are some tips you can utilize:

• Don’t Heat – We have become a society of gluttonous convenience without a care for the environment or our own health merely to rapidly attain anything we desire. Heating food in plastic can break down the material into microplastics and easily be consumed without the consumer ever having a clue. Use glass or ceramic to heat food instead.
• Back to Tap – There was a time that tap water was at risk of being tainted with harsh chemicals, softeners, and metals. Although this may still be a risk in some areas, most municipal water systems have implemented high tech filtration systems to assure tap water safety. According to a Canadian study it was found that those who drank water out of a plastic bottle are prone to ingesting upwards of 90,000 plastic particles per year whereas those that drank tap water ingested only 4,000 particles. 
• Keep it Clean – Make sure your counters, furniture, and other household items are diligently wiped down. Dust is often filled with microplastics, particularly from synthetic couches, chairs, and other items breaking down over time. It is also essential to vacuum and maintain a very clean home to avoid these plastics from getting in your food or worse yet being breathed into your lungs.
• Hand Wash – If you must use plastic to store food, do not clean the plastic in your dishwasher. The high heat and harsh detergents can also cause solid plastic containers to slowly slough off tiny plastic particles which inevitably end up in your system. 
• Follow the Numbers – If you purchase food in a plastic container or even store food in one you will want to make sure that these containers do not have the numbers 3, 6, or 7 on the bottom. This means they contain phthalates, styrene, and bisphenols, which are all plastic heavy compounds that could leach into your food. 

Avoid plastic in your food by following some of these tips and staying vigilant with your food choices. The more packaged and processed, the more plastic it probably contains.

Sources:

https://www.treehugger.com/humans-ingest-least-plastic-particles-year-4852462

https://wap.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/humans-swallowing-plastic-equivalent-to-one-credit-card-per-week-study-119061200592_1.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/you-eat-thousands-of-bits-of-plastic-every-year/#close

https://www.treehugger.com/ways-eat-less-plastic-4853933