Five surprising foods that contain microplastics - and how to cut your intake
The presence of microplastics in food and drink is a well-known fact, with seafood often focused on as a significant source of these tiny particles. Research has revealed the presence of microplastics in nearly all sampled fish and shellfish.
Since the 1960s, plastic production has surged annually, with an estimated eight million metric tonnes entering our oceans each year.
However, Catherine Rolph, an environmental expert writing for The Conversation, warns that seafood isn't the only source of microplastic contamination in our diet. She stated: "The public is starting to understand that they can find microplastics in their food, particularly seafood, but exposure from other foods is far more common than most people realise.
"Studies have shown that your daily intake of microplastics from food and drink is estimated to be anywhere from zero to 1.5 million microplastic particles per day." Rolph has now identified five unexpected foods known to contain these pollutants, including chewing gum, apples and carrots, reports The Mirror.
Chewing gum"When you chew gum, you are essentially chewing a lump of plastic," says the expert. "Most chewing gum is made from a gum base (plastics and rubber), to which sweeteners and flavourings are added.
"Natural gums made with plant polymers are not much better. They release a similar number of microplastics as the synthetic gum. This suggests that microplastics aren't just coming from the gum base but could be due to the introduction of microplastics during the production or packaging process.
"Most microplastics were released within the first eight minutes of chewing, so to reduce your exposure, chew one piece of gum for longer, rather than constantly popping in fresh pieces."
The lecturer in Environmental Engineering at The Open University, says: "Salt may seem like a pure, simple ingredient but studies have shown that 94% of salt products tested worldwide are contaminated with microplastics. The contamination is so widespread that sea salt has even been proposed as an indicator of microplastic pollution in the marine environment.
"Contamination has been found to be higher in terrestrial salts, such as Himalayan salt, rather than marine salts.
"Your salt grinder might also be making things worse. Disposable plastic spice grinders can release up to 7,628 particles when grinding just 0.1g of salt. To minimise your exposure, switch to a grinder with a ceramic or metal grinding mechanism and store salt in non-plastic containers."
Apples and carrotsRolph explained: "Microplastic contamination of fruit and vegetables has been identified in several studies. Nanoplastics, which are plastic particles smaller than 1,000 nanometres, can enter plants through the roots. Microplastics have also been found on the surface of a variety of fruit and vegetables.
"One study found apples and carrots to be the most contaminated and lettuce the least. However, microplastic contamination remains relatively small when compared with more highly processed foods.
"While we don't yet know what the effects of the microplastics are, we do know that antioxidants in fruit and vegetables, such as anthocyanins, which give fruits and vegetables their red, blue and purple colours, keep people healthy, so do keep eating them."
Tea and coffeeThe lecturer added:"Teabags are not the only source of microplastics in your hot beverage. Tea leaves, coffee and milk can all be contaminated with microplastics.
"The use of disposable plastic-lined takeaway cups is one of the biggest sources of microplastic contamination in hot drinks. High temperatures can cause the release of microplastics from the container into the beverage.
"Hot drinks contain more microplastics than the iced equivalents so switching to a cold beverage can reduce your exposure. Buying milk in glass bottles has also been shown to result in a lower microplastic load.
"This doesn't extend to all drinks, though.
"There are a few truly plastic-free teabags available - they use cotton rather than biodegradable plastics to seal their bags. Identifying these brands, however, can be tricky as there is no standard approach to labelling and not all companies are transparent about the composition of their product.
Rolph advised: "While studies have shown that most seafood is contaminated with microplastics, what is perhaps most surprising about seafood is the amount of attention it receives compared to other food sources. One study showed the levels of microplastics in so-called "filter feeders", such as mussels, was just 0.2-0.70 microplastic particles per gram.
The lecturer said storing food in plastic containers and eating highly processed food are both associated with high concentrations of microplastics. She suggests switching to glass for these - as well as for microwaving food prevent microplastics leaching into it.
She added: "Finally, while water quality varies in different countries, several scientific reviews have suggested that people consume more microplastic particles from bottled water in single use plastic bottles than from tap water.
"While eliminating plastics entirely from our diets may be impossible, making these swaps should help to reduce your exposure." To read the full article click here.