Plants now grown with plastic already inside them...
This is devastating news. Two separate scientific studies published in June 2020 have found microplastics in fruits and vegetables. It was always thought that the particles were too large to pass through plant tissue, but these studies show otherwise (links to the studies are at the bottom of this post).
This is just not ok! It's like something from a science fiction movie...our food grows with plastic already inside it!?! We don't want to just share bad news though. Here are some steps we can all take to reduce our contribution to the problem and reduce how much we consume.
The science hasn't yet concluded what damage ingesting microplastics has on our health but I think it is safe to trust our instincts and know that it is less than good! We know that plastics like BPH are endocrine disrupters, meaning they wreak havoc with our hormones - I've included an example of how below:
- Don't drink plastic bottled water (this is a big one - it's one of the main ways we ingest microplastics)
- Filter your water - the smaller the micron filter the better
- Buy non synthetic fabrics like cotton and wool - synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester contain plastic
- Air dry clothes rather than tumble dry - synthetic clothes shed more microfibres (aka microplastics) when they are tumble dried
- Avoid beauty/cosmetic products with microbeads
- Avoid plastic containers and bags (have you tried beeswax wraps? they are genius)
- Choose plastic free tea bags (e.g. Clipper, Pukka, Teapigs)
- Stop chewing gum - it's actually made from plastic so by not chewing it we reduce our ingestion and reduce our contribution to the plastic problem!
- Support your natural detox systems so you have the best chance of reducing the harmful effects - drink LOTS of water, eat your greens (especially cruciferous which are magic for the liver) and exercise/sweat
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935120305703
https://www.nature.com/
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