Plastic. It's what's on the menu.

[Matted Joybeard]

Scrumptious.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/consumer-reports-finds-widespread-presence-plastics-food-2024-01-04/

Consumer Reports has found that plastics retain a "widespread" presence in food despite the health risks, and called on regulators to reassess the safety of plastics that come into contact with food during production.

The non-profit consumer group said on Thursday that 84 out of 85 supermarket foods and fast foods it recently tested contained "plasticizers" known as phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic more durable.


It also said 79% of food samples in its study contained bisphenol A (BPA), another chemical found in plastic, and other bisphenols, though levels were lower than in tests done in 2009.

Consumer Reports said none of the phthalate levels it found exceeded limits set by U.S. and European regulators.

It also said there was no level of phthalates that scientists confirm is safe, but that does not guarantee the safety of foods you eat.


Phthalates and bisphenols can disrupt the production and regulation of estrogen and other hormones, potentially boosting the risk of birth defects, cancer, diabetes, infertility, neurodevelopmental disorders, obesity and other health problems.

 

[odanny]

Credit cards and Walmart bags, it's what's for dinner.



Ingested Microplastic (MP) particles can harm the human body. Estimations of the total mass of ingested MP particles correspond to 50 plastic bags per year (Bai et al., 2022), one credit card per week (Gruber et al., 2022), or a median value of 4.1 μg/week for adults

 

[Matted Joybeard]

We've really screwed everything.

Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits, study finds

In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans...

phys.org

For the first time, they counted and identified these minute particles in bottled water. They found that on average, a liter contained some 240,000 detectable plastic fragments—10 to 100 times greater than previous estimates, which were based mainly on larger sizes.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

...

Plastics in bottled water became a public issue largely after a 2018 study detected an average of 325 particles per liter; later studies multiplied that number many times over. Scientists suspected there were even more than they had yet counted, but good estimates stopped at sizes below 1 micrometer—the boundary of the nano world.

...

The new study uses a technique called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, which was co-invented by study co-author Wei Min, a Columbia biophysicist. This involves probing samples with two simultaneous lasers that are tuned to make specific molecules resonate. Targeting seven common plastics, the researchers created a data-driven algorithm to interpret the results. "It is one thing to detect, but another to know what you are detecting," said Min.

The researchers tested three popular brands of bottled water sold in the United States (they declined to name which ones), analyzing plastic particles down to just 100 nanometers in size.

They spotted 110,000 to 370,000 particles in each liter, 90% of which were nanoplastics; the rest were microplastics. They also determined which of the seven specific plastics they were, and charted their shapes—qualities that could be valuable in biomedical research.

One common one was polyethylene terephthalate or PET. This was not surprising, since that is what many water bottles are made of. (It is also used for bottled sodas, sports drinks and products such as ketchup and mayonnaise.) It probably gets into the water as bits slough off when the bottle is squeezed or gets exposed to heat. One recent study suggests that many particles enter the water when you repeatedly open or close the cap, and tiny bits abrade.

...

However, PET was outnumbered by polyamide, a type of nylon. Ironically, said Beizhan Yan, that probably comes from plastic filters used to supposedly purify the water before it is bottled. Other common plastics the researchers found: polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polymethyl methacrylate, all used in various industrial processes.

A somewhat disturbing thought: the seven plastic types the researchers searched for accounted for only about 10% of all the nanoparticles they found in samples; they have no idea what the rest are. If they are all nanoplastics, that means they could number in the tens of millions per liter.

 

[justoffal]

Scrumptious.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/consumer-reports-finds-widespread-presence-plastics-food-2024-01-04/

Consumer Reports has found that plastics retain a "widespread" presence in food despite the health risks, and called on regulators to reassess the safety of plastics that come into contact with food during production.

The non-profit consumer group said on Thursday that 84 out of 85 supermarket foods and fast foods it recently tested contained "plasticizers" known as phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic more durable.


It also said 79% of food samples in its study contained bisphenol A (BPA), another chemical found in plastic, and other bisphenols, though levels were lower than in tests done in 2009.

Consumer Reports said none of the phthalate levels it found exceeded limits set by U.S. and European regulators.

It also said there was no level of phthalates that scientists confirm is safe, but that does not guarantee the safety of foods you eat.


Phthalates and bisphenols can disrupt the production and regulation of estrogen and other hormones, potentially boosting the risk of birth defects, cancer, diabetes, infertility, neurodevelopmental disorders, obesity and other health problems.

Good God.... We won't have to worry about global warming we'll be dead long before it becomes an issue.

 

[ding]

We've really screwed everything.

Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits, study finds

In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans...

phys.org

For the first time, they counted and identified these minute particles in bottled water. They found that on average, a liter contained some 240,000 detectable plastic fragments—10 to 100 times greater than previous estimates, which were based mainly on larger sizes.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

...

Plastics in bottled water became a public issue largely after a 2018 study detected an average of 325 particles per liter; later studies multiplied that number many times over. Scientists suspected there were even more than they had yet counted, but good estimates stopped at sizes below 1 micrometer—the boundary of the nano world.

...

The new study uses a technique called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, which was co-invented by study co-author Wei Min, a Columbia biophysicist. This involves probing samples with two simultaneous lasers that are tuned to make specific molecules resonate. Targeting seven common plastics, the researchers created a data-driven algorithm to interpret the results. "It is one thing to detect, but another to know what you are detecting," said Min.

The researchers tested three popular brands of bottled water sold in the United States (they declined to name which ones), analyzing plastic particles down to just 100 nanometers in size.

They spotted 110,000 to 370,000 particles in each liter, 90% of which were nanoplastics; the rest were microplastics. They also determined which of the seven specific plastics they were, and charted their shapes—qualities that could be valuable in biomedical research.

One common one was polyethylene terephthalate or PET. This was not surprising, since that is what many water bottles are made of. (It is also used for bottled sodas, sports drinks and products such as ketchup and mayonnaise.) It probably gets into the water as bits slough off when the bottle is squeezed or gets exposed to heat. One recent study suggests that many particles enter the water when you repeatedly open or close the cap, and tiny bits abrade.

...

However, PET was outnumbered by polyamide, a type of nylon. Ironically, said Beizhan Yan, that probably comes from plastic filters used to supposedly purify the water before it is bottled. Other common plastics the researchers found: polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polymethyl methacrylate, all used in various industrial processes.

A somewhat disturbing thought: the seven plastic types the researchers searched for accounted for only about 10% of all the nanoparticles they found in samples; they have no idea what the rest are. If they are all nanoplastics, that means they could number in the tens of millions per liter.

Matter doing what matter does shouldn't be a surprise. Whatever you do don't look into what happens when you flush a toilet containing human waste.

 

[justoffal]

Matter doing what matter does shouldn't be a surprise. Whatever you do don't look into what happens when you flush a toilet containing human waste.

Yes....a fine spray of colloidal mix ( shit and water) is lifted into the immediate air space! Yummy!

 

[ding]

Yes....a fine spray of colloidal mix ( shit and water) is lifted into the immediate air space! Yummy!

If one were sitting on the commode when they flushed, do you believe it would be possible to get fecal matter on their joybeard such that it could become matted?

 

[justoffal]

If one were sitting on the commode when they flushed, do you believe it would be possible to get fecal matter on their joybeard such that it could become matted?

Most likely....I strongly advocate for the Bidet! Though I'm sure it too launches all manner of nifty ingredients hither and yon about the seated patron.

 

[initforme]

Some would never accept the fact there's too much plastic. Anti science pro capitalist crazies.

 

[petro]

We've really screwed everything.

Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits, study finds

In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans...

phys.org

For the first time, they counted and identified these minute particles in bottled water. They found that on average, a liter contained some 240,000 detectable plastic fragments—10 to 100 times greater than previous estimates, which were based mainly on larger sizes.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

...

Plastics in bottled water became a public issue largely after a 2018 study detected an average of 325 particles per liter; later studies multiplied that number many times over. Scientists suspected there were even more than they had yet counted, but good estimates stopped at sizes below 1 micrometer—the boundary of the nano world.

...

The new study uses a technique called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, which was co-invented by study co-author Wei Min, a Columbia biophysicist. This involves probing samples with two simultaneous lasers that are tuned to make specific molecules resonate. Targeting seven common plastics, the researchers created a data-driven algorithm to interpret the results. "It is one thing to detect, but another to know what you are detecting," said Min.

The researchers tested three popular brands of bottled water sold in the United States (they declined to name which ones), analyzing plastic particles down to just 100 nanometers in size.

They spotted 110,000 to 370,000 particles in each liter, 90% of which were nanoplastics; the rest were microplastics. They also determined which of the seven specific plastics they were, and charted their shapes—qualities that could be valuable in biomedical research.

One common one was polyethylene terephthalate or PET. This was not surprising, since that is what many water bottles are made of. (It is also used for bottled sodas, sports drinks and products such as ketchup and mayonnaise.) It probably gets into the water as bits slough off when the bottle is squeezed or gets exposed to heat. One recent study suggests that many particles enter the water when you repeatedly open or close the cap, and tiny bits abrade.

...

However, PET was outnumbered by polyamide, a type of nylon. Ironically, said Beizhan Yan, that probably comes from plastic filters used to supposedly purify the water before it is bottled. Other common plastics the researchers found: polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polymethyl methacrylate, all used in various industrial processes.

A somewhat disturbing thought: the seven plastic types the researchers searched for accounted for only about 10% of all the nanoparticles they found in samples; they have no idea what the rest are. If they are all nanoplastics, that means they could number in the tens of millions per liter.

Maybe I am spoiled by my deep private well with fresh clean water. I refuse to drink water from those plastic bottles.
It simply tastes like the bottle itself and I especially can't stand water from city systems as I can taste when water has been treated.

Plastics really don't decompose and just break down into smaller and smaller particles.

 

[petro]

Some would never accept the fact there's too much plastic. Anti science pro capitalist crazies.

Pro capitalist here and I do have a problem with stupid wasteful use of plastics in packaging...
Perhaps folks should use Amazon less as they do stupid crap like this...plastics protecting plastics...

Or maybe consumers can demand an end to stupid single use packaging also...

Or was your post just a lame attempt to smear others in political partisanship?

I think everyone can agree regardless of politics that the above examples are unnecessary over packaging.

 

[Crick]

I think everyone can agree regardless of politics that the above examples are unnecessary over packaging.

Yes

 

[ReinyDays]

There's bacteria evolving to consume this stuff as we type ... so no worries ... the Earth will cleanse herself ... just need to get rid of pathogenic lifeforms ...

Spay and neuter ... it's the right thing to do ...

 

[toobfreak]

Phthalates and bisphenols can disrupt the production and regulation of estrogen and other hormones, potentially boosting the risk of birth defects, cancer, diabetes, infertility, neurodevelopmental disorders, obesity and other health problems.

Maybe this stuff also contributes to more people being gender dysphoric.

 

[initforme]

Plastics have hurt this nation hugely.

 

[initforme]

Plastics have hurt this nation hugely.