7 Common Foods That Contain Microplastics
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, generally smaller than 5 mm. Microplastics have many sources including:
- shedding from clothes made of synthetic fibers
- breaking off of larger pieces of plastic
- microbeads in cosmetics or hygiene products
- production of nurdles (how most plastics start)
We’re aware of the plastic pollution in our ocean and in the environment, but did you know that microplastics are in your food? And on average, we eat about a credit card’s weight in plastic every week. And currently, we have very little scientific data about the cumulative health effects of continually eating and breathing microplastics.
Fruits & Vegetables
Scientists at the Catania University in Italy discovered microplastics in fruits and vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, apples, and pears.
The researchers found an average of 189,550 microplastic particles per gram of pears and 50,550 microplastic particles per gram of broccoli!
Fruits and vegetables absorb microplastics from water contaminated with microplastics. It’s hypothesized that fruits have more microplastics because the fruits have more pathways for water to be carried and because fruit trees are older, their root systems are larger and more efficient at carrying water.
Tea Bags
Nearly all tea bags contain plastic. Not just the pyramid ones that feel like plastic, but even the papery ones. They contain plastic fibers so the bag doesn’t disintegrate while your tea is steeping.
In one study, it was estimated that 11.6 Billion microplastic particles were released from a single tea bag. I don’t know about you, but I like my tea without plastic.
So, I use loose-leaf tea that I purchase in large quantities online or in the bulk bins when available.
I use a tea strainer similar to the one shown here and just pop it on top of my mug:
When I can’t find loose leaf tea in the bulk bins, I buy big 1 lb bags from Davidson’s Tea:
I like that their teas are organic and they have a wide range of flavors. These one pound bags usually last me six months to a year and I drink a cup of tea every day.
Beer
Most water has microplastics and since water makes up the majority of beer, most beer contains microplastics. You can avoid this by switching to wine, drinking less beer, or finding a beer that filters their water first. Even if the brewery filters the water, depending on the size and method of filtration, they still probably won’t catch all the microplastics.
Salt
A study found microplastics in 17 brands of salts from 8 different countries. The salts were sourced from both the sea and lakes. Sea salt had the highest concentration of microplastics. This is no surprise given all of the plastic pollution in the ocean. So, to reduce your intake of plastic, choose land-based salts like Pink Himalayan Salt.
Fish & Shellfish
Marine life often ingests plastic thinking that it is food. Shellfish such as oyster filter water and can intake and release up to 50 gallons of water a day. Along the way, microfibers and microplastics can get caught in the flesh or ingested.
In addition, farmed fish are fed fish meal that oftentimes contain microplastics. Of course, as smaller fish are eaten by larger fish, the more plastic accumulates in the larger fish.
Bottled Water
Plastic water bottles release microplastics into your water. Leaving your water bottle in the sun helps release more microplastics in your water bottle.
In fact, a study comparing bottle water to tap water from the same water source had 7 times more microplastics.
The best way to avoid drinking these microplastics is to stop buying plastic water bottles…both single-use and multi-use. If you’re on the go and don’t have a reusable water bottle, opt for glass. But the best option is carrying a non-plastic reusable water bottle.
Packaged Meals
Finally, skip the pre-packaged meals. As I’ve mentioned before, plastic leaches into your food. And oftentimes, pre-made foods are hot when they go into the plastic package. So, it’s more likely to pull microplastic particles and the chemicals into your food.
If you purchase a pre-packaged meal, don’t heat it in the plastic tray because that release more chemicals into your food.
When you can, sit down at a restaurant for meals, choose take-out items wrapped in paper or in a paper box, or cook meals at home.
Overall, the best thing we can do is reduce the amount of single-use plastics we use to help reduce microplastic pollution.
What do you think? Were you surprised by any or all of these?
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