Recently, a New York University study found that infants have 20 times more microplastics in their stools than adults.
In fact, this is not the first time that researchers have detected the presence of microplastics in humans. Back in 2018, researchers first discovered the presence of microplastics in human feces.
This time, such a high concentration of microplastics was detected in the baby's body, which suddenly made parents panic.
What are microplastics? How do they get into the baby's body? Is it harmful to babies? Can babies still use plastic products? Today, we will interpret the knowledge about microplastics in detail.
1. What are microplastics?
In 2004, the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom first proposed the concept of "microplastics".
Microplastics are very small in size, usually less than 5 millimeters in diameter, and are almost difficult to see with the naked eye. There is a lot of dust, food and bottled water.
2. How do microplastics enter the baby's body?
The researchers reasoned that most of the baby's toys and tableware are plastic products, and babies like to nibble on these things, and they are exposed to plastic environments for longer.
The academic journal Nature. A study in Food showed that under the World Health Organization's standards for brewing milk powder, PP (polypropylene) bottles release more than one million microplastic particles, which are ingested by babies through milk.
At present, the share of PP bottles on the market is about 82%. What is extremely worrying is that in the daily milk powder preparation method, the microplastic content in the bottle can be as high as 16.2 million per liter!
It is conceivable how amazing the microplastics that babies who use PP bottles drink every day are.
3. Are microplastics harmful to babies?
At present, scientists cannot determine whether microplastics endanger human health. According to relevant studies, no matter how small the microplastics are, they are not easily absorbed by the human body and will eventually be excreted from the body.
There is still too little research on the effects of microplastics on the human body, and the extent of the risk is not yet known.
4. Can babies still use plastic products?
A large number of animal experiments have proved that microplastics cannot be digested, which can easily lead to animal illness or even death. Some researchers have also shown that when microplastics are small enough, they can enter the human blood circulation system and may cause human cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Therefore, it is related to the health of children, as parents dare not have a little slack, should minimize the intake of microplastics by infants and young children, really can not avoid the use of plastic tableware supplies, we should pay attention to the following points.
a. Choose a safer plastic material
At present, the materials commonly used in plastic tableware on the market are: PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene) and PPSU (polyphenylene sulfone resin).
PP (polypropylene), a common food-grade plastic material, often appears in household plastic products, such as disposable cups, lunch boxes, straws, microwave oven lunch boxes, etc. It is the only plastic known to be heated in a microwave oven.
PS (polystyrene) is often used in instant noodle barrels, plastic cup lids, etc. It is not possible to heat at high temperatures, nor can it store foods with strong acidity and alkalinity, because under the action of strong acid and alkali, the carcinogen polystyrene will decompose.
PPSU (polyphenylene sulfone resin) is a plastic with a high safety level at present, which has the characteristics of high strength, high rigidity and high wear resistance. According to the national quality supervision department, the current product quality of PPSU bottles on the market in China is in good condition, but it is undeniable that there are still certain safety hazards. It is recommended that in the choice of baby bottles, the ppsu bottle of the big brand is preferred.
b. Improve the process of brewing milk powder
First, use non-plastic containers such as glasses and ceramic cups to brew milk powder, cool to about 37-40 degrees Celsius, and then pour into a sterilized AND cooled PPSU plastic bottle.
Second, no plastic containers are used to reheat formula or breast milk. Experiments have shown that when the temperature is high and high, the microplastics produced by the bottle will increase sharply.
Finally, high-temperature sterilization causes a large number of microplastic particles to be generated on the surface of the bottle. Therefore, after the bottle is sterilized, it should be rinsed with room temperature clean water.
c. Avoid using plastic cutlery to hold foods that are too hot
Plastic tableware is not put into the microwave oven and other containers for heating, especially note that the lid of the tableware box must not be put into the microwave oven!
When your child uses a plastic water cup, he should use a non-plastic container to cool the water temperature, then pour it into the plastic water cup, and do not shake the water cup vigorously during use.
Children's health is the most important thing for parents, and safe children's products are used in daily life to eliminate some unsafe plastic products from children' sides.