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We all know junk food is bad – but a new study shows just how toxic it really is.Recent articles have converged to paint a horrifying picture of Americans’ increasingly ultra-processed diets and likely brain damage from the microplastics that saturate many foods, especially “fast food” from take-out restaurants. The US leads the world in junk food consumption, and microplastics may account for rising rates of obesity, depression, anxiety, and dementia. These findings are reinforced by the May 22 MAHA Commission Report, which identifies food toxins as a prominent contributor to the alarming spike in disease in US children.Plastic Toxins...

New research reveals how anthocyanin-rich fruits and vegetables could help defend your body against toxic microplastic exposure.If it seems like a weekly occurrence that a new microplastic-filled product is potentially harming your health, you’re right. Between tea bags, lipstick, dishwasher detergent, and gum (among many other things), it’s hard to avoid these tiny toxic particles. But there’s a glimmer of good news: a study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis found that colorful fruits and vegetables may combat the negative effects of microplastics in the body. Fruits and vegetables are known for their abundant vitamins and minerals, but the...

Chewing gum can secrete tiny plastic particles into saliva and bloodstreams, scientists in the US and China say, pointing to the latest source of microplastics in the human body. In a paper presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) spring meeting on March 25, a team of engineers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) explained that they found "hundreds to thousands of microplastics per piece" of gum in saliva after chewing. "Our initial hypothesis was that the synthetic gums would have a lot more microplastics because the base is a type of plastic," said Lisa Lowe of UCLA,...

Research has characterized how polymer-based commercial tea bags release millions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused. The study shows for the first time the capacity of these particles to be absorbed by human intestinal cells, and are thus able to reach the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. Plastic waste pollution represents a critical environmental challenge with increasing implications for the well-being and health of future generations. Food packaging is a major source of micro and nanoplastic (MNPLs) contamination and inhalation and ingestion is the main route of human exposure. A study has successfully obtained and characterized micro and nanoplastics...

If you own a pair of white shoes or have ever tried to remove crayon from a wall, you're probably thankful for melamine sponges. These products practically erase tough stains and scuffs through their unique abrasiveness and without additional cleaning products. But these "magic" sponges shed microplastic fibers when worn down. Researchers publishing in the journal Environmental Science & Technology report that, worldwide, melamine sponges could release over a trillion microplastic fibers every month. Melamine foam is made of poly(melamine-formaldehyde) polymer—a network of hard, plastic strands assembled into a soft, lightweight foam that's surprisingly abrasive, making it the perfect material...

Microplastics found in every human testicle in study. Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in sperm counts in men around the world.Microplastics have been found in human testicles, with researchers saying the discovery might be linked to declining sperm counts in men. The scientists tested 23 human testes, as well as 47 testes from pet dogs. They found microplastic pollution in every sample. The human testicles had been preserved and so their sperm count could not be measured. However, the sperm count in the dogs’ testes could be assessed and was lower in samples with higher contamination...

Above: The tiny, spherical robots (shown in light yellow) collect bacteria (green) and small pieces of plastic (gray) from within water while under the influence of a rotating magnetic field (Pumera, et al/ACS Nano 2024). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scientists report the development of microbiotic swarms that capture microplastics and potentially harmful microbes in water, paving the way for new approaches to combatting pollution in our oceans and waterways. According to new research led by Martin Pumera and colleagues, a microscale robotic system has been developed that can attract and then remove microplastics and harmful bacteria from water. These tiny plastic particles, often...

Prospective parents, nursing mothers urged to mitigate use of plastics to protect their babies Microplastics - where do they come from? Microplastics are small particles of plastic, less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length, from the size of a grain of rice to particles that have to be viewed under a microscope, explain Yale Sustainability experts Leigh Shemitz and Paul Anastas. Primary microplastics are the microbeads found in personal care products, plastic pellets (or nurdles) used in industrial manufacturing, and plastic fibres used in synthetic textiles (e.g., nylon). Secondary microplastics are large plastic materials that . . . get...

Microplastics! They're in everything, from our bodies to the ocean. And apparently they're even found in sediment layers that date back as early as the first half of the 1700s, showing microplastics' pernicious ability to infiltrate even environments untouched by modern humans. A team of European researchers made this alarming discovery after studying the sediment layers at three lakes in Latvia, as detailed in a study published in the journal Science Advances. Scientists have long used layers of ash or ice to study past events on Earth, leading to the question of whether microplastics can serve as a reliable chronological...

A new study has found that the overwhelming majority of protein foods such as meat and fish are contaminated with microplastics. The comprehensive study, conducted by researchers at the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, found that approximately 88% of protein samples tested contained microplastic particles. "Highly processed products contained the most microplastics per gram," the study said in its findings.

New research finds that nearly 90% of proteins — yes, even vegan alternatives — tested by researchers contain microplastics, which have been linked to negative health consequences. Sixteen types of protein sources — including chicken, beef, seafood, pork, tofu and three plant-based alternatives — were analyzed for microplastics in a study published Monday in the journal Environmental Pollution. The samples were purchased in April 2022 from two supermarkets and one grocer in the Portland, Oregon, area — according to the product packaging, they were produced in the US. The researchers, from Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto, found that...

Millions of people around the world wear contact lenses, including reusable ones. But these plastic lenses don't last forever, and lenses need to be replaced every few days, weeks or months. Though scientists are still grappling to understand the health and environmental impacts of microplastics, it is important to understand where they can appear and what systems they could impact. When measuring aquatic microplastic pollution, researchers generally filter plastic fragments from large amounts of sampled water. The researchers gathered six kinds of contact lenses from various brands and of different lifespans. To mimic normal wear and care, the lenses were...

That plastic bottle of water? Apparently it’s full of plastic. According to the organization Agir pour l’Environment (Acting for the Environment), 78% of bottled water from the best-selling brands in France is contaminated with microplastics.A new study suggests most plastic water bottles in France are full of microplastics, which might have a detrimental effect on the environment and your health“Every week, we ingest an average of 5 grams, the equivalent of a credit card,” the NGO notes in its latest report. These microplastics then contaminate the water cycle, soil, food chain and even our own bodies. Microplastics are tiny, virtually...

Tiny self-propelled robo-fish can swim around, latch on to free-floating microplastics and fix itself if it gets damaged Scientists have designed a tiny robot-fish that is programmed to remove microplastics from seas and oceans by swimming around and adsorbing them on its soft, flexible, self-healing body. Microplastics are the billions of tiny plastic particles which fragment from the bigger plastic things used every day such as water bottles, car tyres and synthetic T-shirts. They are one of the 21st century’s biggest environmental problems because once they are dispersed into the environment through the breakdown of larger plastics they are very...

Disease-causing parasites could be pouring into oceans and infecting humans and wildlife after hitching a ride on microplastics, a new study warns. In lab tests, California experts found three different pathogens adhere to surfaces of microplastics – tiny plastic pieces under 0.2 of an inch (5mm) in diameter. These pathogens form a biofilm – a slimy layer made from a community of microbes – making them ultra-resilient to any rough waters. By 'hitchhiking' on microplastics, harmful microbes can disperse throughout the ocean, reaching places a land parasite would normally never be found. This can ultimately lead to fish and seafood...

Microplastics – tiny pieces of plastic less than 0.2 of an inch (5mm) in diameter – have been found in human blood for the first time. Scientists in the Netherlands took blood samples from 22 anonymous healthy adult donors and analysed them for particles as small as 0.00002 of an inch. The researchers found that 17 out of the 22 volunteers (77.2 per cent) had microplastics in their blood – a finding described as 'extremely concerning'.

Microplastics—tiny pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in length –– are everywhere, from bottled water to food to air. According to recent estimates, people consume tens of thousands of these particles each year, with unknown health consequences. Now, researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have more microplastics in their feces than healthy controls, suggesting that the fragments could be related to the disease process. The prevalence of IBD, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is rising globally. Characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, IBD can be triggered or made worse by diet and...

Scientists thought it was bad, but it's even worse than they imagined. Now it's a potential catastrophe that will affect all our lives — unless we take action now. Otherwise, life on Earth will be irreparably harmed. I'm not talking about global warming. I'm talking about global warming part II: microplastics! Today, Fox News reported the release of a "groundbreaking study" of Monterey Bay by the Scripps Oceanographic Institute. A Scripps scientist summarized the findings: "Everywhere we looked and in every animal we looked, we found microplastics!" The accompanying film was oddly irrelevant. It showed ocean waters filled with trash...

Researchers examined cognitively normal human brain samples gathered at autopsy in early 2024 and found that tiny plastic shards were higher than just eight years earlier. The cadaver brains contained up to 30 times more microplastics than kidneys and liver, roughly equivalent to the amount found in an entire plastic spoon. “The concentrations we saw in the brain tissue of normal individuals, who had an average age of around 45 or 50 years old, were 4,800 micrograms per gram, or 0.48% by weight,” said co-lead study author Matthew Campen, Regents’ professor

I wonder how many different "scientists" missed the simple #math error in #MeganLiu's study that caused an unjustified panic over #BlackPlasticUtensils. Oh look. Their organization is called #ToxicFreeFuture. This is why I favor meritocracy instead of #SocialJustice or #DEI. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/black-plastic-spatulas-really-bad-164241783.html