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New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

sustainableplastics.com

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Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#271

Post by darajava »

userbinator wrote: post #253

One of the biggest reason plastics are used is because they're inert. in this case, fluorescent polystyrene particles Did they neglect any effects of the fluorescent dye instead? The fact that plastics are everywhere , and we have been exposed to them for several generations, should be seen as evidence of their harmlessness; we would've seen many obvious effects if they weren't. I see this as very similar to the some…

Sure, but what about the more slight effects? A 2-point general decline in IQ is a huge problem, but not obvious. I am wary of any “bogeyman” that we are told to be worried about, in this case, the pervasiveness of plastic does actually worry me. Hopefully i’m wrong

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#272

Post by donkeyd »

Justsignedup wrote: post #43
njovin wrote: post #22

I'm still shocked that there hasn't been more of a regulatory push to eliminate single-use plastics. In the US the closest we've gotten is banning plastic straws and charging for plastic carry bags. Everything I've read about plastic recycling points to it being ineffective and requiring massive amounts of fossil fuel to move the waste around the globe, often with much of it just getting burned or dumped into the env…

The problem is plastic particles getting into food. And that comes from things like heating up in plastic, storing things in plastic. Non single use plastics are a major problem. That's the thing. Plastic is modern lead. It's easily moldable, but causes subtle health problems.

> Non single use plastics are a major problem.

And they're everywhere. I bought a sweater a couple of years ago. It's made from recycled PET bottles. It felt like a nice thing a couple of years ago. Now I realize that every time I wash it I'm releasing micro plastics into the sewer that might not get filtered out.

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#273

Post by huthuthike »

blueridge wrote: post #226

I know it's probably bad for me and that I need to stop, but I love sous vide meat. Especially steak—it's perfect every time.

Get reusable silicone bags. Most sources say they don't release microplastics. I'm not sure how well studied that is but my hunch is they probably aren't as bad as using a ziplock bag.

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#274

Post by throwaway92837 »

remarkEon wrote: post #199
purpleflame1257 wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obesity itself is oestrogenic. It's the calories, stupid!

I used to think this, that the obesity thing was just a function of an increase in calorie consumption and a drop off in physical activity. I just can't take this view seriously anymore. When you look around today, there are body types that never existed prior to the 1970s - at least at any kind of scale. Comparing pictures of family gatherings from the 1950s through the 1970s, and then to the 1990s and beyond and th…

> there was never a real change in their diet or exercise

Don’t you think that could have been the reason their health continued to fail?

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#275

Post by bowsamic »

bee_rider wrote: post #220
bowsamic wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how they do it in Germany. Most working Germans I know of eat at the work canteen and have a small bread meal at home in the evening Weird that you're getting downvoted for this. HN is on a weird one recently

Is a canteen the same thing as a cafeteria? Lots of Americans have their lunch at a work cafeteria as well. A big lunch and a small dinner would probably be a good change for lots of us.

Yes. Also I kind of agree, but personally, the canteen food here in Germany is usually too calorific for me compared to the food I cook.

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#276

Post by throwawayfear »

meindnoch wrote: post #236
jokoon wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem of replacing plastic in food is the cost. If you use glass or steel or aluminum, you need new logistics to reuse them. Also, glass is heavier, and requires a lot of energy to be made, so it would require a production chain that ships back empty containers. The best silver bullet solution would be to have local canteen, a bit like in the army or at school, where you just get a subscription with a calendar…

This was an idea of the infamous Romanian communist dictator Ceausescu: he wanted to feed the whole of Bucharest in a single giant canteen. Unfortunately he was toppled and killed in 1989 before this idea could come to fruition.

It’s unfortunate that a communist dictator was toppled and killed? Did you ever bother to look into why that happened and all the evils he did?

We shouldn’t be borrowing from a dead communist dictator’s playbook. Clearly it didn’t work out for him and the vast majority of people didn’t want that.

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#277

Post by bowsamic »

throwawayfear wrote: post #268
bee_rider wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is a canteen the same thing as a cafeteria? Lots of Americans have their lunch at a work cafeteria as well. A big lunch and a small dinner would probably be a good change for lots of us.

It’s just a weasel wording to say “lots.” How many and where did you get your number from? How many of those are using a designated sitting area to eat food they brought from home? And if you think something is a good change, make it for yourself and don’t impose it on someone else. Vast majority of people given the choice will pick independence and purchasing/making their own food whenever they want, not being depen…

Just fyi in Germany we aren't forced to eat at the work cafeteria if we don't want to. I'm not sure where you got the idea of forcing people to eat communally from

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#278

Post by ethanbond »

fredrikholm wrote: post #64
SoftTalker wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also coincides with a rise in obesity, which is a known endocrine distruptor.

And correlated with decreased sperm quality and count. Considering the sheer amount of bad health outcomes that are also associated with obesity in general, it's not surprising that it also affects fertility. Question then becomes, if you adjust for obesity, how much has male fertility changed since 80 years ago?

We have lab data showing that microplastics also disrupt metabolisms. So this is not quite the escape hatch we might wish it was: we have good reason to suspect that microplastics are also contributing to obesity.

(Of course this doesn't fully remove our extremely sedentary lifestyle and highly unnatural food supply either)

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#279

Post by triceratops »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #146
bhouston wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My suggestion, which isn't rocket science: Ban plastic food containers for any type of long-term storage or anything that gets heated up (and different plastics have different microplastic shedding profiles, so ban the worst first) and also ban PFAS in anything that gets close to food. It will increase costs, but the alternative is we poison ourselves, so it is sort of needed. Phase it in so that industries have time…

It's almost as if it was the adoption of the microwave oven that signaled the roller coaster was beginning to race downhill. God, I wish I could go back to non-plastic packaging. Natural peanut butter I can still find in glass, as I can for my jelly. But mayonnaise, ketchup and countless other items are in plastic-only containers.

What's wrong with microwave ovens? I find mine very handy and I never ever put plastic in it.

Re: New study finds microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, alter behaviour

#280

Post by moffkalast »

nonethewiser wrote: post #114
moffkalast wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well this is something you don't really need a high tech test kit for. Take a sample of any fluid you can find anywhere, are microplastics in it? The answer is yes.

You don't think its possible to remove microplastics from water?

Not in any mass practical sense.
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