Posted on 02/02/2025 9:56:03 AM PST by ConservativeMind
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html
Plastic is the most prevalent type of marine debris found in our ocean and Great Lakes. Plastic debris can come in all shapes and sizes, but those that are less than five millimeters in length (or about the size of a pencil eraser) are called “microplastics.”
As an emerging field of study, not a lot is known about microplastics and their impacts yet. The NOAA Marine Debris Program is leading efforts within NOAA to research this topic. Standardized field methods for collecting sediment, sand, and surface-water microplastic samples have been developed and continue to undergo testing.
Waxed cartons are fine; they do cost a bit more than plastic as I remember being taught (I’m in medical not food packaging).
Most of the cartons I have seen today are hot form/fill/seal single serving. That’s the kids’ juice and milk cartons you find unrefrigerated.
Larger containers (gallon jugs) are blow molded usually from polypropylene. They’re very thin and use little material. That’s why they’re used now (but you can’t hot fill for sterility).
A lot of what we eat is not ‘recognized’ by the body, like cellulose (a plastic, can you believe that) that is found in abundance in ‘healthy’ foods. It’s in no way harmfull, it just transits and goes out by the bottom.
Transfat is, like all fats, quite digestible. It’s supposedly harmfull not because it’s not ‘recognized’ but probably (there is no solid physiology mechanism behind that, just some doubts based on some epidemiological observations, ie the lowest of scientific evidence) because it’s an unsaturated fat and hence more oxydable and more inflammatory.
I did not see any definition of “high” in the source. It just said “higher” than in the blood.
Means little.
The air pressure at the top of Mount Everest is much higher than the air pressure at 30,000 feet.
Higher or Lower are relative terms. It is a way of lying with statistics.
I would love to see absolute numbers if someone can find them for this article.
Right, but I was asking about the size of the particles.
I’ll stay away from margarine and other trans fats; butter seems much more natural and healthy:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27215959/
Almost all food is in plastic now. Even our clothes are plastic.
Bar soap, too. Now we have body wash and hand soap in bazillions of plastic bottles.
Also laundry detergent. It used to be powder in a cardboard box.
Yes. You can still find this kind of packaging, but it’s often used in cheaper and inferior products.
>> Research has shown exposure to plastics in general is harmful to both the environment and humans. <<
Not really. It’s basically a mere presumption. The author feels safe in making this assertion because some plastic somewhere has proven harmful; a big plastic bouncy ball lodged in your throat can’t be good, right? And it COULD be REALLY bad, maybe?
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