Aunt Qiao has always had the Xi of hoarding plastic bags, especially medium-sized and large bags that can fit trash cans, and she is not willing to throw them away.
But in the past two months, Aunt Qiao has seen an article saying that plastic bags will produce a lot of microplastics, and these substances will even invade the brain after entering the human body, causing a variety of diseases. Aunt Qiao hurriedly disposed of all the plastic bags at home, and also used environmentally friendly paper bags to reduce contact with plastic bags as much as possible.
But in fact, there are many items that may produce microplastics in life, and the impact on the body after long-term exposure is greater than imagined.
1. Research finds: microplastics exist in every breath of air we breathe, and microplastics have penetrated into all aspects of life?
When you hear the word microplastics for the first time, many people may think that they are debris on the surface of plastic products, and perhaps only in poor-quality plastics. But in fact, most plastic products will drop microplastics less than 5 mm in the process of use, and microplastics penetrate almost all aspects of life.
First of all, there are countless microplastics in the air.
In 2022, a team of researchers from New Zealand calculated the total mass of microplastic particles in urban air for the first time, and they found that 75 tons of microplastics (equivalent to 3 million plastic bottles) settle from the air to Auckland every year.
And the closer you get to the ground, the less air pressure there is, and the more microplastics are diffused in it. Therefore, every breath of air we breathe can contain microplastics.
Second, discarded plastic waste may pass through the soil, water sources, and return to our bodies again.
There is too much plastic waste produced in life, and most of the plastics have poor degradation ability, and in the long-term corrosion process, they decompose into countless microplastics, which enter the soil and water sources. The normal life of human beings is inseparable from the water source, although the filtered drinking water meets the safety standard, but there are also microplastic components in it.
In addition, our clothing and food will also come into contact with microplastics and invade our bodies.
Some people think that the raw material of the clothes is cotton, and there will be no plastic in it, but in order to increase the texture and variety of clothes, the processing of the fabric will also be doped with other components, such as nylon, acrylic, polyester, etc.
This kind of clothing is in direct contact with the skin, and constantly wears out, and will also drop a lot of microplastics, through the skin, respiratory tract into the human body.
Not to mention the diet, if the seasonings at home are packed in plastic containers, the salt added during stir-frying also has microplastics, and the longer the container is used, the more microplastics are decomposed, which may affect your health.
Therefore, although we have not heard much about microplastics, they are already our "good neighbors", and even have "set up" in our bodies, which may become the cause of many diseases.
2. Microplastics can invade the brain? It can damage more health than that
We have the impression that plastics are daily necessities with form, so when we hear that microplastics may invade the brain, our first reaction is not to believe it, but it is really possible!
In December 2023, a study published in Science Advances found that microplastics do enter the brain and affect brain function through a mechanism.
In the study, the blood of many adults was examined, and a large number of microplastic particles were found, and the detection rate was higher than expected, most of which were smaller than 5 millimeters, and some nanoplastics with a diameter of less than 1 μm.
This nanoplastic may follow the blood flow and break through the blood-brain barrier into the brain, at which time neurons will endocytosise, but it will also cause mild damage to lysosomes, which will affect the overall function of neurons, and in the long run, it may affect the transmission of cranial nerves, causing a variety of brain diseases and dysfunctions.
In September of the same year, the International Journal of Molecular Sciences published a study that further visualized the damage of microplastics to the brain through mouse experiments. In the experiment, mice of different ages were fed different levels of microplastic drinking water within three weeks, and the results showed that:
• The mice all showed abnormal movements and behaviors, similar to those of dementia in humans, with more pronounced changes in older mice.
Dissecting mice revealed that microplastics had invaded the brains of mice, resulting in a decrease in fibrillary acidic proteins in glial cells, which is often associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
In addition to affecting brain function, in what ways can microplastics damage the body?
As we mentioned earlier, microplastics will enter the human body through the respiratory system and digestive system, and participate in blood circulation after reabsorption, so too much microplastics remain in the body, which will directly affect cardiovascular health.
In 2023, researchers at Capital Medical University found that microplastic particles ranging from 20 to 469 μm may be hidden in the heart and its surrounding tissues.
Because microplastics are foreign substances, the metabolic rate of the human body is much lower than the intake, and the long-term deposition of blood and other organs is equivalent to the accumulation of useless garbage, which will directly affect the normal function of the organs, thereby increasing the incidence of inflammation and even recurrent inflammation, and inflammation is the beginning of many serious diseases, and may even increase the risk of cancer.
In addition, in recent years, studies have found that excessive intake of microplastics may lead to male infertility.
The study found that the deposition of too much microplastics in the body alters the interaction of the gut microbiota, leading to the ectopic of gut-derived Th17 cells and triggering male reproductive toxicity through a pathway, which may lead to male infertility. For example, it leads to a decrease in the number of male mirrors, the removal of motility, and sperm impatience.
Another study exposed mice to microplastics for 28 days showed a significant decrease in sperm quality and testosterone levels, which further demonstrated the effects of microplastics on male function.
3. Reminder: Reduce the intake of microplastics, and touch these things less at home!
Although microplastics are everywhere, these things at home may be the "hardest hit area", and it is recommended to touch less if you can!
1. Inferior masks
In recent years, a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted research on common masks and found that different quality masks have different abilities to block microplastics. The levels of inhaled microplastics in two hours are roughly ranked as follows:
• No masks> activated charcoal masks> surgical-type B masks> cotton masks> fashion > non-woven masks> surgical-type A masks> N95 masks.
However, after wearing an inferior mask, the risk of inhalation of microplastics in fiber piles is greater, because the inferior masks themselves will produce more microplastics, and the masks seal off the fresh air, which also increases the inhalation of microplastics, which is more unfavorable to health.
2. Plastic cups, plastic lunch boxes, plastic tubes
Some studies have found that plastic products will precipitate more microplastics when exposed to heat, so plastic products that are easy to come into contact with high-temperature food in daily life should be replaced in time. The most common of these include plastic cups, plastic lunch boxes, plastic tubes, etc., which are recommended to be replaced with glass products, or to let the food cool before putting it in a plastic container.
3. Tea bags
There is a layer of plastic mesh on the outside of the tea bag, which not only ensures that the tea leaves are not spilled, but also ensures that the boiling water is in full contact with the tea leaves, so that everyone can enjoy the fun of drinking tea more conveniently. However, when making tea, this layer of plastic mesh will also precipitate microplastics under high temperature conditions and enter the human body through the tea.
Therefore, tea bags are not the best choice for making tea, compared to utensils with strainers are more suitable for making tea, such as metal thermos cups, ceramic tea sets, glass tea sets, etc., the plastic components in these tea sets are relatively small, and the substance itself is relatively stable, more suitable for long-term and repeated use.
Citations:
[1] Scientists discovered microplastics in human blood for the first time[J].Juvenile World, 2022(006):000.
[2] Dong Qiang, Yang Luchen.Microplastics: Quantitative Change to Qualitative Change[C]//The First Collaborative Innovation Forum of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Men's Health and the 3rd National Academic Forum on Andrology of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.0[2024-01-08].