• Light/Dark

People eat at least 50,000 plastic particles a year, study finds

Tracygill

Tracygill

Banned
Nov 2, 2017
1,853
The Left
Health effects of ingestion of microplastics via food, water and breathing still unknown.

The average person eats at least 50,000 particles of microplastic a year and breathes in a similar quantity, according to the first study to estimate human ingestion of plastic pollution.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The true number is likely to be many times higher, as only a small number of foods and drinks have been analysed for plastic contamination. The scientists reported that drinking a lot of bottled water drastically increased the particles consumed.

The health impacts of ingesting microplastic are unknown, but they could release toxic substances. Some pieces are small enough to penetrate human tissues, where they could trigger immune reactions.

Microplastic pollution is mostly created by the disintegration of plastic litter and appears to be ubiquitous across the planet. Researchers find microplastics everywhere they look; in the air, soil, rivers and the deepest oceans around the world.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


Some of the best available data is on water, with bottled water containing 22 times more microplastic than tap water on average. A person who only drank bottled water would consume 130,000 particles per year from that source alone, the researchers said, compared with 4,000 from tap water.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Cox was clear that there are no known health effects as yet, but he said the ingested particles are "a high exposure risk in terms of numbers. It could be a potential alarm call for sure".
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This could explain some medical issues but we don't know anything yet. Hopefully when we find out more this will lead to more regulation on how plastics are used. Maybe this will lead to more resources being used to properly dispose of garbage.

I guess I'm avoiding bottled water and soda until they figure out what these plastic particles do to the human body.
 
Last edited:
BasilZero

BasilZero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
37,729
Omni
I guess I'm already dead in that case since I drink 6-7 bottles per day.


(I hope they will look into it....they wont unfortunately)
 
DrewFu

DrewFu

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt-account
Banned
Apr 19, 2018
10,360
I care more about if there are side effects or not.
 
Barrylocke

Barrylocke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
397
I would hate to hear that as a Flint Michigan resident. Drinking a lot of bottled water for months/years to avoid the pipe, only to ingest another potentially harmful substance instead.
 
Dark Knight

Dark Knight

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,181
Seeing as how bottled water is my go to for water, looks like it's time to switch... again. Switched before to avoid pipe metal exposure. Everything wants me dead.

Anyone got a recommendation for a water filter?
 
starpower

starpower

Digital Dumpster Diver
Banned
Jan 23, 2018
4,219
Canada
2vdn5w.gif
 
cupcakeunicorn

cupcakeunicorn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,426
The true number is likely to be many times higher, as only a small number of foods and drinks have been analysed for plastic contamination. The scientists reported that drinking a lot of bottled water drastically increased the particles consumed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I was going to say, 50000 seems incredibly low given what we do know about enviromental prevalence of microplastics.
 
rein

rein

Member
Apr 16, 2018
713
How many calories is that?

We have fucked this world beyond repair haven't we...
 
evrythngwastakn

evrythngwastakn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,761
Bottled water is the most wasteful shit ever, especially people who buy huge Costco packages of it and just chug away. Like stores that wrap oranges and bananas in plastic before they sell them.

Maybe if this gets worse and gets linked to some knarly shit, people will be forced to change.

Or. Probably. Coke, Pepsi and Nestle will do whatever it takes to muddle up the narrative.
 
darkwing

darkwing

Corrupted by Vengeance
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,603
just crazy, by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish by weight
 

Deleted member 4367

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,226
Klappdrachen said:
Would using one of these help? Been thinking about getting one.
f06324d9-8a8f-45ec-a003-1d0e586517f5.jpg._CB313071822_.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


Those are activated carbon filters mostly aimed at removing chlorine/chloramines to improve taste. But it would likely also incidentally remove some of the plastics.

I would just get a cartridge filter for under the sink though, much more convenient to be filtered right out of the tap.
 
game-biz

game-biz

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,164
Too late for me now. I've been on the bottled water train for a while now, and this train ain't stoppin'.
 
DiipuSurotu

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
53,148
What even is a plastic particle? I thought particles were protons, leptons, etc., and it doesn't make much sense to count them.

EDIT: Shouldn't it be plastic molecules or something?
 
Last edited:
ArachosiA

ArachosiA

Banned
Nov 4, 2017
818
Shit, I guess I'm screwed in multiple ways because I've been refilling and drinking a gallon sized plastic jug with tap water every day for years now.

You just can't win in this world. Everything wants to kill us.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.