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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

Prenatal exposure to higher levels of bisphenol A, a plastic commonly found in water bottles and packaging and known to leach into our foods and drinks, has been linked to autism spectrum disorder in boys, according to a new study that also identified the biological mechanism underlying this link. The risks of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), an industrial chemical used in plastic manufacturing and found in a wide variety of plastic products, are well-documented. Known to leach out of plastics and into the foods and beverages we consume, studies have linked BPA to health issues primarily because it mimics...

Hurricane Debby is barreling through Florida, America’s economy is crashing, US troops were injured in Iraq Monday and conflict in the Middle East is on the brink of a dangerous escalation — sounds like the perfect time to ban the use of plastic cutlery, right?! Instead of addressing the multiple crises the nation is currently grappling with, the Biden administration decided it was time federal government workers stopped using plastic forks.The Biden administration announced it is launching a plan to “phase out” the “procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal...

Plastic producers should ‘pay for the damage they’ve caused’ after decades of deception, the report's authors say. Recycling has been promoted as a solution to plastic waste management for more than 50 years. But big oil companies and the plastics industry have known for decades that it’s not a technically or economically viable solution, a new report reveals. Combining existing research and recently revealed internal documents, the report by the Center for Climate Integrity Research (CCI) could form the foundation for legal action, its authors say. “When corporations and trade groups know that their products pose grave risks to society,...

A research study reveals that “eco-friendly” paper and bamboo straws may contain hazardous chemicals called PFAS. While used to enhance water and stain resistance in many products, PFAS can persist in the environment and are linked to various health issues. With 69% of the tested straw brands containing these chemicals, the research suggests reconsidering straw choices or opting for stainless steel versions. Long-lasting “forever chemicals,” which can cause damaging health issues, were found in 18 out of 20 brands of paper straws. “Eco-friendly” paper drinking straws contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals, a new study has concluded. In the first...

Starch-based biodegradable plastics, once considered safer, may cause liver damage, metabolic issues, and gut microbiome imbalances when ingested, as shown in animal studies. Researchers found that mice exposed to these microplastics had disrupted organ function and altered biological rhythms. ***************************************************************** Starch-based biodegradable plastics may cause organ damage and metabolic issues, raising concerns about their safety despite being considered eco-friendly. Plastic products gradually break down through wear and tear, releasing tiny, often microscopic, plastic particles that may pose health risks if inhaled or ingested. To address this, researchers have developed biodegradable plastics made from plant starch rather than petroleum. However, a...

You might not think twice about those ice cube trays sitting in your freezer. I didn’t either until I learned what might be hiding in them. Those standard plastic trays that come with most refrigerators or that you pick up at the dollar store for cheap? They could be adding more than just ice to your drinks. Many older plastic ice cube trays contain chemicals that can seep into your ice and then into whatever you’re drinking. Kind of scary when you think about it, right? Let’s look at which ice cube trays you should avoid and what safer options...