You're Eating Plastic in Every Bite of This Food, New Research Finds

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

There have been several food recalls lately because of traces of plastic in some foods. For instance, almost 60,000 pounds of Pilgrim's Pride chicken nuggets were recalled back in June because they may contain plastic. But scientists have even found plastic in things that haven't been recalled. Take protein powder, for instance (even organic brands!). And a brand new study has uncovered seafood plastic in some supermarket staples.

Published in the journal Environmental Science&Technology, QUEX Institute scientists discovered microplastic in wild blue crabs, oysters, prawns, wild squid, and sardines picked up in Australian markets. This type of plastic is less than 5 millimeters, or similar in size to a sesame seed, according to Medical News Today.

The edible parts of the seafood were tested by heating it in an incubator to around 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Also inside was a solvent that "digested" the edible parts. Then scientists looked for plastics using a method called the "pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry." Five types of plastic that come from packaging, synthetic materials, and marine debris were found, according to the publication.

"Considering an average serving, a seafood eater could be exposed to approximately 0.7 milligrams (mg) of plastic when ingesting an average serving of oysters or squid, and up to 30 mg of plastic when eating sardines," the lead author of the study, Francisca Ribeiro, says.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/you-re-eating-plastic-in-every-bite-of-this-food-new-research-finds/ar-BB18Lp3y?li=BBnba9O&ocid=DELLDHP

Yummy

[mr_lebowski]

1. This is horrible on many levels, however ... is it shown to cause harm to our bodies?

Plastic being pretty inert stuff, generally. I'd think particularly so if it's been floating around in ocean water for months or years.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Bad as it is, it's not alive or poisonous (that we know of)

[honest.abe]

11. Chemicals in plastics can disrupt hormone levels in a person's body among other things.

https://www.newsweek.com/chemical-plastic-wreaks-havoc-hormones-impossible-avoid-study-finds-799605

Bottom line its not good.

[mr_lebowski]

12. That's not the same as eating plastic that's been floating in the ocean for months or years ...

You're not consuming the plastic when you drink bottled water, right?

The reason this packaging is bad for you is because the plastic is fresh, and still off-gassing various chemicals used in it's production, which is absorbed by the water in the product.

Consuming minute bits of actual solid plastic that have been exposed to the rigors of the environment for a long time is a very different matter.

It could still be terrible, even worse, in fact ... for all I know.

But this sort of comparison is not illustrative.

[honest.abe]

13. True but I suspect some of the same chemicals might still be present.

It would be interesting to see research data on this.

[marybourg]

2. They told us to eat dark-meat fish.

My weekly can of yummy sardines is waiting on the counter.

[SeattleVet]

14. I've been stocking up on them.

Costco has a great one - it's the Season brand in olive oil. Nice and firm, and the cans are well stuffed. When they go on sale they're an even better bargain!

[marybourg]

15. I order the King Oscar 2-layer

cans in o.o. by the case from Amazon. I'd like to try one of the imported Portuguese brands.

[Maru Kitteh]

3. I stick to fresh whole vegetables, grains and fruit and nuts only.

That's about 95% of my diet, right there. 5% treats.

[stopbush]

4. No mention of beef . I'll stick with steaks.

[peacebuzzard]

5. with plastics and disinfectants we are taking in many foreign particles.

It seems hard to get away from.
I do stick to whole produce as much as possible.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. I'm Reserving Judgment

As bad as this sounds, if these plastics are still at their typical molecular weight, they're inert.
They won't digest (they're hydrogen chloride resistant & not susceptible to enzymatic decomposition) so they pass through the digestive system.
With disinfectants, since most are based on labile chloride ions, they also don't digest in the stomach acids.
However, a high enough concentration can kill probiotic bacteria in the intestines.
But, the likely concentration is so low, that these, to a high degree of probability, will pass through the kidneys and eliminated through the urine.
I know this sounds scary, but it would be scarier if the PGC/MS found liberated monomer. That would be far more toxic. But, that's not what they found.

[peacebuzzard]

9. thanks for the input; I also worried about the rust on my new griddle.

I had to research that.
Now that most of my diet is consumed at home during this shelter-in, and I am directly involved with the production of my nutrition, I have time to reflect on what is going on with the food chain.
I just purchased a new iron cast griddle and was concerned about the rust produced from the iron. I looked it up and it also seems benign.
Thank you for the information.
Less things to become concerned about!

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Don't Worry About Rust

In the stomach, the ferric oxide reacts with the HCl to become ferric chloride and water.
The ferric chloride is a highly soluble iron salt that actually is helpful adding iron to the body.

[mucifer]

8. One word...

he wasn't wrong.