Assessing the Release of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Plastic Containers and Reusable Food Pouches: Implications for Human Health

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c01942

Implications for Human Health The results indicated that microwave heating caused the highest release of microplastics and nanoplastics into food compared to other usage scenarios, such as refrigeration or room-temperature storage. 21 Jun 23

Furthermore, an in vitro study conducted to assess the cell viability showed that the extracted microplastics and nanoplastics released from the plastic container can cause the death of 76.70 and 77.18% of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) at 1000 μg/mL concentration after exposure of 48 and 72 h, respectively.

Plastics cause wide-ranging health issues from cancer to birth defects, landmark study finds

www.theguardian.com

First analysis of plastics’ hazards over life cycle – from extraction to disposal – also shows ‘deep societal injustices’ of impact

NB: This article was amended on 3 April 2023 to remove a quote from Andreas Suhrbier that said it was estimated humans consumed a credit card’s worth of plastic a week. He now accepts this estimate is not necessarily supported by the evidence.

The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health

https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/10.5334/aogh.4056

www.unep.org

Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes. Plastic pollution is a global problem. Every year 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers and seas. Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.  UNEP’s body of work demonstrates that the problem of plastic pollution doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics need to be assessed alongside other environmental stressors, like climate change, ecosystem degradation and resource use.

commonseas.com

A deep dive into the unknown effects of plastics on our health