Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic material, less than 5 millimeters in size. It is now known that microplastics are present in increasing quantities in our seas. Already in 2017, the UN had calculated that there are at least 51 trillion plastic fragments in the oceans. This is 500 times the number of stars in the Milky Way! Not everyone knows, however, that microplastics are now also present in food.
There has been talk of the presence of these substances in fish. But now a new alarm bell comes from the University of Catania. Beware of microplastics in these foods you eat every day: fruits and vegetables.
A study demonstrates the presence of microplastics in vegetables and fruit
The news comes from the Laboratory of Environmental and Food Hygiene of the University of Catania, directed by Professor Margherita Ferrante. For the first time in the world, one studio reported the concentration of microplastics contained in fruit and vegetables most consumed by Italians. In particular, apples, pears, potatoes, carrots, lettuce and broccoli were analyzed. An average quantity of microplastic particles between 223,000 and 97,800 particles for each gram of vegetable was identified. The fragments were between 1.51 and 2.52 microns in size. So beware of microplastics in these foods you eat every day.
The origins and health risks
How do plastic fragments end up in the food we eat? There are two types of microplastics. The primary ones are small particles released directly into the environment. The main source of these fragments are clothes made of synthetic material. The second type is that of secondary microplastics. These are formed when larger objects, such as bottles or shopping bags, degrade. Most of the fragments present in the ocean belong to the second type. Fish ingest these materials, which reach our plates through the food chain. It is not yet clear what the health effects of microplastics are. It is speculated that some toxic chemicals found in plastics may be dangerous. But more research is needed.
Deepening
Never eat these potentially carcinogenic cheeses
(We remind you to carefully read the warnings in this regard, which can be consulted who”)
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