Have you ever thought that you might unknowingly add huge amounts of plastic to your family’s diet, and in the form of tiny particles of microfiber, the equivalent of a bank card enters the body every week?
This is correct.
Many daily habits regarding food preparation and preparation make us consume constant amounts of invisible plastic particles that accumulate in the internal body systems and threaten public health with many risks.
Daily we use plastic to a large extent in the preparation, preparation and preservation of food (Getty Images)
A growing global consumption of plastic
The first ever synthetic type of plastic was developed in 1907. Since then, humanity has been producing increasing amounts of plastic and using it for almost everything and anything.
In 1950, for example, two million tons of plastic were produced.
Then in 2019 alone, that number jumped to 368 million tons, according to the Plastic Soup Foundation's website for the environment and sustainability.
With global production of plastics expected to rise to about 600 million tons in 2025. This is nearly double the total weight of the world's population today.
And if you look closely, you will find that you use plastic to a great extent in preparing, preparing and preserving food, after these materials have entered almost everything from kitchen utensils.
The problem does not stop at this huge amount of plastic in the environment, which is broken down into small non-degradable atoms;
In fact, it has come to the point of humans consuming millions of minute parts of these dangerous substances after they have reached almost everything in our lives, from the seas and oceans to our digestive systems.
But, how exactly does this happen and how do you do it daily in the kitchen without knowing it?
The average modern adult eats between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles a year (Getty Images)
Nylon paper and plastic cups
According to a recent study published in the Journal of National Geographic, the average modern adult eats between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles annually, and this occurs either due to plastic food wrappers and fast food in the market, or to daily cooking and food preparation habits.
The study authors from the American Chemical Society reported that plastics in nylon cooking bags and plastic-lined cardboard cups release trillions of nanoparticles in every liter of water they come into contact with, whether hot or cold.
Among those sources, nylon cooking bags, which may make life in the kitchen a lot easier, are ideal for keeping food moist in the oven or for simplifying slow cooker recipes.
Countless numbers of homes depend on food-grade nylon to keep it in refrigerators so that it is not exposed to dehydration and damage.
Likewise, plastic-lined cups, usually designed for one-time use, are unknowingly a great source of plastic for warm drinks.
The plastic lid that covers paper cups keeps your coffee hot while stopping potential leaks, but at the same time it reacts with hot brew vapor to release plastic nanoparticles that drip back into your drink and eventually be consumed.
Despite these multiple and practical benefits in the daily routine of preserving and consuming foods and drinks, these plastic materials are the most prominent source of the countless plastic nanoparticles in our stomach.
It doesn't stop there either.
By avoiding some bad food preservation habits, the millions of tiny plastic particles that remain in the body may be avoided (Shutterstock)
Dangers of food heating plates
How many times have you reheated food in a plastic container or plate in the microwave to save time and a new plate to add to the annoying daily dishwashing chores?
In fact, using plastic materials to reheat drinks and food in the microwave or oven, even for short periods of time, releases quantities of plastics and other compounds that eventually mix with our food and drink, called dioxins.
Possible threat of cancer
“Dioxins are byproducts of a number of processes, one of which is burning,” says Rolf Halden, assistant professor in the Center for Water and Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
So when we burn anything, we produce dioxins that are released into the air and pollute the environment again after it rains.
Because humans are at the top of the predatory food pyramid, we consume these compounds when we ingest contaminated water, animals, and plants.
“Once dioxins enter our bodies, they build up in fat tissue,” Halden explains, and they usually remain there for years because they are difficult to break down.
Ultimately, dioxins may cause a long list of health problems.
According to the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "Exposure to dioxin at high levels increases the risk of cancer."
Also, exposure to dioxins over a long period of time can lead to reproductive and developmental problems.
However, some studies consider that heating foods and drinks in plastic dishes and utensils will not necessarily produce these dangerous compounds, and therefore the risks of exposure through this process remain limited and not dangerous to human health.
So at the moment, modern science is still far from determining the health impact of these plastic nanoparticles on humans when ingested.
Indeed, the researchers acknowledge that we are not yet technically ready to tackle this major challenge.
It's just that by avoiding some of the aforementioned daily habits when cooking and preparing food, you could be avoiding the millions of microplastics that remain in your family's body forever.