Page 108 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2023

HEALTHY LIVING
MICROPLASTICS
on the Rise
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
There’s a good chance you’ve heard microplastics talked about with increasing regularity, but what are they and why are they dangerous to your health?
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), microplastics are small plastic pieces that are less than five millimeters in length. Not only are these plastics harmful to humans, but to our oceans and the aquatic life that resides there.
Microplastics come from a variety of sources, including larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces over time. In addition, microbeads, a type of microplastic, are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to health and beauty products, such as some cleansers and toothpastes. These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end
up in the ocean and Great Lakes. Thankfully, microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products were banned through the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015.
Even still, the issue of microplastics
hormone disruption, increased risk of chronic disease, and impared immune health.
According to Medical News
Today, 322 million metric tons of plastics were produced in 2016, 60 percent of which was used for food packaging. With so much plastic surrounding our food and drinks, it’s important to be aware of items that contain microplastics and how to avoid them.
Single-use water bottles, to-go containers, food cans, and storage wraps are examples of common plastic-based food packaging
that contains microplastics. In addition to the packaging itself, the way we use those items can also affect the release of microplastics. Heating food in plastic packaging, long storage times, and even the specific type of plastic packaging
a person uses all affect the amount of microplastics and their harmful chemicals that migrates into food.
Research suggests that an average person in the United States may consume over 50,000 particles of microplastic per year. This figure increases to 90,000 in those who
remains. Aside from plastics that are physically degraded over time, exposure to certain environmental conditions, such as heat, cause plastic to break down into microplastics which an migrate into our food and cause issues such as
regularly consume plastic-based bottled water. So how do we minimize our exposure and reduce pollution? Medical News Today says to limit highly-processed foods, choose eco-friendly packaging, and use glass or stainless steel water bottles.
108 | August 2023
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