2024-09-18 14:44:27
“Plastics should not be in your blood”warns Dick Vethaak, professor of ecotoxicology at the Free University of Amsterdam, United Kingdom. Two years ago scientists announced that they had found it small plastic particles in the lungs and blood of people, and they call them microplastics. These particles, invisible to the naked eye, are often leftovers in the environment and adhere to the food we eat. Although the exact consequences of this problem are still unknown, the discovery shows the worrying impact that microplastic pollution is having on our health.
Plastics vary in resistance depending on their chemical composition and the additives they contain. During their life, from production to disposal, these materials can wear and tear, producing small fragments known as microplasticswhich has different sizes from 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters.
Salt, alcohol, meat, fruits, vegetables and drinking water can contain microplastics. Small particles of air can circle the world in a few days and fall from the sky as rain. In early 2024, study of Columbia University appears that even the bottled water which has destroyed millions of people, is contaminated with hundreds of thousands pieces of plastic. Also, Research by the Department of Sciences from the University of Chile shows that 12 watermarks bottled distributed in the Community Area They contain microplastics.
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Unfortunately, the exposure to microplastics he is the King which is impossible Currently due to its in front of all ecologyfrom the seas to the clouds.
One of the most worrying aspects is the possibility that small microplastics not only circulate through the environment, but also enter human body. Over time, these small particles can cause irritation that leads to cascading variety of illnessfrom inflammation, changes in metabolism, to cancer. Or, they can remain inert and do nothing.
A study of Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) of Spainpublished in the Journal of Nature, shows that the continuous handling of microplastics can change the way the human intestines work. And in the long run, they can reduce bacterial diversity and change its balance. Other research suggests that the toxins in microplastics may be related lung disease (asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
According to Dick Vethaak, professor emeritus of ecotoxicology and co-author of the study in Amsterdam, he explained that although the presence is not a reason for panic, It is important to worry before it is too late: “Plastics should not be in your blood,” he warned.
What can we do about microplastic pollution?
Since plastic pollution has permeated every aspect of our daily lives, from the air we breathe to the water we drink, the question that arises is How to reduce our exposure to microplastics.
There is only one way “sterilization and purification” which can reduce the amount of microplastics in drinking water. Researchers suggest boil water and filter itsimilar to how to prepare a tea infusion. This process helps remove microplastics from the water.
Research from the University of Barcelona found that artificial grass is polluting oceans and rivers with microplastics
“This simple process of boiling water can ‘decontaminate’ nano and microplastics from tap water and has the potential to reduce human consumption of particles through the use of water,” reads a recent research from Guangzhou University and Jinan University in China, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters,.
With this method, up to 90% of the polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene particleswhose size varies between 0.1 and 150 micrometers.
The authors of the study explain that during boiling water, small pieces of plastic become “trapped” in the calcium carbonate that is formed naturally during this process. Him calcium carbonate that’s it white matter located below and around the boiler, for example. This is because when water is heated, the minerals in the water are separated in order to increase its temperature.
In addition to the benefit of eliminating microplastics, Drinking water also reduces other health risksas “paralyzing” pathogenic organisms that may be present in it, such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. It can even eliminate a large part of some chemicals and heavy metals in water.
RM
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