Microplastics are on everyone’s lips. A recent study that has analyzed 280 samples of bottled water from 20 brands sold in Spain has found that only one is free of these plastic particles. The quantities are low, the authors admit, but vigilance is required. Now, other new research has found microplastics in proteins like chicken, beef, and even tofu.
To reach this conclusion, researchers from the non-profit organization Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto analyzed more than 12 types of both plant and animal proteins with different degrees of processing. These were pork, shrimp, chicken, beef, tofu or some fish. The experts found that about 90% of the samples studied contained plastic particles.
The study also shows that microplastics are more numerous in processed protein products such as breaded shrimp, fish fingers and chicken nuggets. On the contrary, less amounts were found in chicken breasts, pork loin or fish such as Alaska pollock, that is, minimally manipulated products. This suggests that food processing could be a source of contamination, the authors say.
Almost half of microplastics were identified as fibers and approximately a third as plastic fragments. “There is no way to hide from plastics in food,” George Leonard, one of the authors of the work and chief scientist at the Ocean Conservancy, told the media.
Based on the amounts of microplastics found in these products and the proportion of protein consumed by American adults (data that has been extracted from several surveys), researchers have concluded that an American adult can consume around 11,000 pieces of microplastic per year. on average.
However, the authors of the research have insisted that they cannot classify the results as alarming, because the health effects of ingesting microplastics are still unknown. “Further studies are needed to address critical gaps that limit our current understanding of microplastic toxicity,” the experts have noted.
They add that future work “should look at a wider variety of products, sourced both inside and outside the US, to better distinguish how pollution may vary globally and understand its drivers.”
According to the results of an extensive analysis carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO), no solid evidence points to the presence of microplastic particles in drinking water being a serious threat to public health.
On the contrary, research led by Dr. Elisabeth S. Gruber from the division of Visceral Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna concludes that “microplastics passing through the gastrointestinal tract have been put in context with the alteration of the intestinal microbiome and that “they can act as potential transporters of contaminants and as chemosensitizers of toxic substances (Trojan Horse effect).”
Much remains to be investigated, which is why the researchers of the microplastics and protein study are clear: “People should not panic about the concentration of plastics in their food.” At least for now.
