Children will swallow microplastic particles released from milk bottles heated in the microwave – Photo: thecooldown.com
In a recent study, Mr. Qazi Alabab Hussain’s group at the University of Nebraska (USA) placed baby bottles in a microwave to heat them for 3 minutes. This bottle is made of plastic and is FDA approved.
The results show that children will ingest microplastic particles released from milk bottles.
Experts estimate that in some cases, simply microwaving plastic containers will release countless tiny plastic particles: more than 2 billion nanoplastic particles and 4 million microplastic particles per square centimeter.
The worrying thing is that researchers still don’t know for sure how these synthetic materials affect our bodies.
“The results of this study are a warning not only to new parents but also to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” said Judith Enck, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Advocacy group Beyond Plastics (a nationwide campaign to end plastic pollution) told the Wired news site.
Microplastics are extremely small plastic particles. They have now been found on Earth’s highest mountain peaks and deepest oceans.
Health care company Henry Ford Health reports that in one study, they found that 77% of people tested had microplastics in their blood.
Some microplastics are made from PFAS – chemicals that are not found in nature; this man-made mixture has appeared in the US since the 1940s – often called “forever chemicals” because they take so long to decompose. Let’s waste.
The government estimates that PFAS are in the bloodstream of 97% of Americans.
Experts are still studying how microplastics and PFAS affect the body, but common sense suggests it can’t be good.
“Many studies, including ours, are demonstrating that the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics is closely related to each other and the risks they pose,” Mr Hussain said.
In one experiment, experts exposed kidney cells to water containing microplastics left in a microwaved water bottle. As a result, about 75% of the cells were destroyed. This shows how harmful microplastic can be for our kidneys.
“For my children, I cannot completely use plastic, but I can reduce it to some extent. People need to know those things and choose them wisely,” recommended Mr Hussain. of.
