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Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

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Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#81
post #72
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably one of the most prominent studies till date: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38446676 Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 390(10):900-910, 2024. Summary: People with artherial plaque that contains micro- and nano-plastics have a higher risk of death during the followup period. It's an observational study, sample size is not too big, but some findings l…

>We should go back to glass bottles, whenever possible. There are very good, very practical reasons we moved from glass (and metal and other materials) containers to plastic. Unless those factors are sufficiently addressed, plastic is here to stay. For those who haven't been keeping track or are just too damn young to know history, those factors include: * Weight. Glass and metal, and also other materials like cerami…

Some EU supermarkets used to have a circular glass system where products were brought in bulk, and only canned in glass inside the shop, sometimes by the customer. Bottles were then returned after use, washed locally and reused many times. This looked fairly efficient.

Restaurants and bars still have the same system here for e.g. Coca-Cola drinks, which come inside a glass bottle that has been reused several times. I'm not sure plastic is more efficient than reusing a glass bottle. Lots of yogurts are packaged in glass containers, and price seems average. I have also heard that plastic is rarely recycled, so it also sounds unsustainable from that perspective.

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#82
post #72
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably one of the most prominent studies till date: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38446676 Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 390(10):900-910, 2024. Summary: People with artherial plaque that contains micro- and nano-plastics have a higher risk of death during the followup period. It's an observational study, sample size is not too big, but some findings l…

>We should go back to glass bottles, whenever possible. There are very good, very practical reasons we moved from glass (and metal and other materials) containers to plastic. Unless those factors are sufficiently addressed, plastic is here to stay. For those who haven't been keeping track or are just too damn young to know history, those factors include: * Weight. Glass and metal, and also other materials like cerami…

in many ways it seems likely that this response was generated by chat gpt , I apologise if this was not the case

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#83
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Being there" can be harmful in and of itself. Blocking receptors, clogging up conduits, etc. As I understand it, this is why certain elemental metals are so toxic: They're big atoms that deposit in harmful places and can't be effectively filtered out.

Small amounts of mercury and aluminum have been shown to be safe in the bloodstream. The dose is the poison

Which is why you have to take care not to eat too much seafood

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#84
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>We should go back to glass bottles, whenever possible. There are very good, very practical reasons we moved from glass (and metal and other materials) containers to plastic. Unless those factors are sufficiently addressed, plastic is here to stay. For those who haven't been keeping track or are just too damn young to know history, those factors include: * Weight. Glass and metal, and also other materials like cerami…

in many ways it seems likely that this response was generated by chat gpt , I apologise if this was not the case

Apologies accepted.

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#85
post #72
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably one of the most prominent studies till date: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38446676 Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 390(10):900-910, 2024. Summary: People with artherial plaque that contains micro- and nano-plastics have a higher risk of death during the followup period. It's an observational study, sample size is not too big, but some findings l…

>We should go back to glass bottles, whenever possible. There are very good, very practical reasons we moved from glass (and metal and other materials) containers to plastic. Unless those factors are sufficiently addressed, plastic is here to stay. For those who haven't been keeping track or are just too damn young to know history, those factors include: * Weight. Glass and metal, and also other materials like cerami…

I agree with every point here, and they all make a lot of sense... yet most alcoholic beverages are shipped to the consumer in glass bottles, including even the cheapest beers.

I have seen some drinks shipped in plastic, so it is possible to do, I wonder if glass packaging is a 'premium' thing. Though, if they can do it for cheap beer, then I'm sure they can do it for non-alcoholic drinks on scale.

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#86
post #75
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is your evidence that microparticles from cotton are not also toxic?

They are ordinary, biodegradable, organic plant material, things to which our bodies are accustomed to for millions of years. You might as well ask whether grass is toxic.

The human body does not contain enzymes that digest cellulose. So how is this degradation to occur?

Fungal attack on woody biomass involves chemicals you do not want in your body. The attack involves extremely reactive hydroxyl radicals, for example.

Being accustomed to something doesn't mean the thing doesn't hurt us.

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#87
post #76

I am fairly convinced that this comment section is among the best demonstrations for "isolated demands for rigor" I have personally ever seen, especially paired with any comment section about an AI-related article When we are trying to predict the implications of unproven technologies on complex worldwide economies, there is talk of "obvious inevitability" When we express concerns that chemicals humanity recently sta…

Well, we've been exposed to microplastics for decades, but what does the evidence say? Afaict, not much.

We don't need RCTs, nor do we rely on them to make causal inferences about long term exposures, nor would an RCT be possible with microplastics.

But we need some converging lines of evidence before we go chicken little. What's the alternative?

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#89
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>We should go back to glass bottles, whenever possible. There are very good, very practical reasons we moved from glass (and metal and other materials) containers to plastic. Unless those factors are sufficiently addressed, plastic is here to stay. For those who haven't been keeping track or are just too damn young to know history, those factors include: * Weight. Glass and metal, and also other materials like cerami…

I agree with every point here, and they all make a lot of sense... yet most alcoholic beverages are shipped to the consumer in glass bottles, including even the cheapest beers. I have seen some drinks shipped in plastic, so it is possible to do, I wonder if glass packaging is a 'premium' thing. Though, if they can do it for cheap beer, then I'm sure they can do it for non-alcoholic drinks on scale.

I've seen and had alcohol in plastic. They generally seem to do fine.

But damn did it feel cheap in a bad way. Being cheap is obviously one of the reasons we use plastic containers, but the feeling associated with plastic alcohol is just plain irrationally bad.

Re: Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain

#90
post #72
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably one of the most prominent studies till date: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38446676 Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 390(10):900-910, 2024. Summary: People with artherial plaque that contains micro- and nano-plastics have a higher risk of death during the followup period. It's an observational study, sample size is not too big, but some findings l…

>We should go back to glass bottles, whenever possible. There are very good, very practical reasons we moved from glass (and metal and other materials) containers to plastic. Unless those factors are sufficiently addressed, plastic is here to stay. For those who haven't been keeping track or are just too damn young to know history, those factors include: * Weight. Glass and metal, and also other materials like cerami…

What's the toxicity of microglass particulates?
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