01/07/2025
7 Surprising Places Microplastics Hide in Your Kitchen and Easy Swaps: Microplastics have become a serious problem for pollution, but now scientists worry about the potential health effects too. An estimated 22,000,000 micro and nanoplastics are inhaled by humans each year, and that is largely because they are so hard to avoid. You can be exposed to microplastics in three ways: inhalation, ingestion or touch. Microplastics have been shown to cause a number of issues in the human body. Microplastics and nanoplastics found in blood vessels have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and, in more severe cases, even death. Tissue inflammation, cell death and lung and liver impacts have all been noted. In animals and marine life, it can also cause oxidative and DNA damage, as well as cancer. Mice were shown to have reduced s***m count, ovarian scarring and hereditary metabolic disorders.
Much is still unknown about the exact effects of microplastics, but studies so far have been sobering. They are inspiring many home chefs to reconsider what they are putting in their kitchen – and in their bodies. Learn more about how to avoid 7 problematic sources of microplastics in the kitchen... https://www.cnet.com/health/7-surprising-places-microplastics-hide-in-your-kitchen-and-easy-swaps
Note: While silicone is technically not plastic, the plastics industry groups silicone into plastics. Silicone may release microparticles containing siloxane chemicals. Siloxane is linked to impaired fertility and potential carcinogenicity in animal studies. The EU considers certain siloxanes to be endocrine disruptors. A 2023 study published in Frontiers in Chemistry found that silicone pacifiers released nano-sized particles when subjected to mechanical stress mimicking everyday use. The researchers used Raman imaging to detect particles as small as 50-100 nanometers. We should begin to be cautious about silicone. As such, we avoid it whenever possible. Read more about silicone here: https://lifewithoutplastic.com/silicone/
