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Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

oceanconservancy.org

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Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#21

Post by Solvency »

epistasis wrote: post #8
charliebwrites wrote: post #5

So what do we do about them? Is there any way to remove microplastics from a person/animal once already ingested? What technology if any is being worked on to help alleviate this?

Stop driving? Most microplastic in water come from tires. I've been trying to make small moves away from car infrastructure in my town and the response is, well, less than positive. We already tacitly accept that cars are one of the biggest causes of death. Reducing car infrastructure to reduce microplastics, where we don't even really know the harm, seems far far more challenging.

Not just tires. Your clothes being washed.

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#23

Post by corytheboyd »

disney wrote: post #15
corytheboyd wrote: post #11

I have done zero research, am not at all qualified to say any such things… but I feel like microplastics will eventually be looked back on the way we look back on asbestos today. “People used to throw PLASTIC in the ocean?!” We are in that awkward period of being aware, yet the damage has been done, so now we wait for the long-term effects to manifest. Again, probably wrong, not at all an opinion to be taken as fact,…

> I have done zero research, am not at all qualified to say any such things… but Always a great way to start a sentence. (Intended in jest.)

The silly preambles that you have to rattle off when commenting on the internet, because everything you say can and will be taken out of context :p

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#24

Post by ProfessorLayton »

>Notably, across all samples, nearly half (44%) of the identified microplastics were fibers, which is consistent with other studies suggesting that fibers are the most prevalent form of microplastic in the environment.

Seems like one could live on a vegan diet and still be consuming a lot of plastic fiber. My favorite blankets, rugs, and t-shirts are all 100% polyester.

Even if I managed to use avoid plastics at home, plastic lint is everywhere in public too.

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#25

Post by tppiotrowski »

epistasis wrote: post #8
charliebwrites wrote: post #5

So what do we do about them? Is there any way to remove microplastics from a person/animal once already ingested? What technology if any is being worked on to help alleviate this?

Stop driving? Most microplastic in water come from tires. I've been trying to make small moves away from car infrastructure in my town and the response is, well, less than positive. We already tacitly accept that cars are one of the biggest causes of death. Reducing car infrastructure to reduce microplastics, where we don't even really know the harm, seems far far more challenging.

I think of tires as being made of rubber. Where does the plastic come from?

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#26

Post by ahoka »

stcg wrote: post #14
david422 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hope we don't get cancer. Become vegetarian.

I don't think becoming vegetarian helps. From the article: > The study found evidence that food processing is a likely source of microplastic contamination, as highly processed protein products (like fish sticks, chicken nuggets, tofu, and plant-based burgers, among others) contained significantly more microplastics per gram than minimally processed products (items like packaged wild Alaska pollock, raw chicken breas…

Plant based meat substitutes are vegan junk food. There are other things to eat that are not meat.

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#27

Post by ethanbond »

epistasis wrote: post #16
corytheboyd wrote: post #11

I have done zero research, am not at all qualified to say any such things… but I feel like microplastics will eventually be looked back on the way we look back on asbestos today. “People used to throw PLASTIC in the ocean?!” We are in that awkward period of being aware, yet the damage has been done, so now we wait for the long-term effects to manifest. Again, probably wrong, not at all an opinion to be taken as fact,…

Perhaps, but we really don't know the harm. And if the exposure is as universal as it sounds, then we can place some upper bounds on the amount of harm. With asbestos, the exposure was somewhat limited, but had greater consewuences. With plastics, we are all getting it.

What upper bounds? One of the higher-confidence hypotheses of the effects of plastic contamination is reproductive disruption. Since these plastics bioaccumulate and pass from mother to child, there’s reason to worry about intergenerational accrual of reproductive damage.

So as far as I can tell, the “upper bound” of harm is reproductive collapse of our species?

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#28

Post by olalonde »

epistasis wrote: post #8
charliebwrites wrote: post #5

So what do we do about them? Is there any way to remove microplastics from a person/animal once already ingested? What technology if any is being worked on to help alleviate this?

Stop driving? Most microplastic in water come from tires. I've been trying to make small moves away from car infrastructure in my town and the response is, well, less than positive. We already tacitly accept that cars are one of the biggest causes of death. Reducing car infrastructure to reduce microplastics, where we don't even really know the harm, seems far far more challenging.

> Stop driving?

Not a realistic solution. The vast majority of people will take the microplastics over not driving.

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#29

Post by ahazred8ta »

epistasis wrote: post #8
charliebwrites wrote: post #5

So what do we do about them? Is there any way to remove microplastics from a person/animal once already ingested? What technology if any is being worked on to help alleviate this?

Stop driving? Most microplastic in water come from tires. I've been trying to make small moves away from car infrastructure in my town and the response is, well, less than positive. We already tacitly accept that cars are one of the biggest causes of death. Reducing car infrastructure to reduce microplastics, where we don't even really know the harm, seems far far more challenging.

No. Most microplastic in water comes from washing machines. Synthetic fibers from clothes.

Re: Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled

#30

Post by rhplus »

Can someone ELI5 this for me: how would microplastics passing through a digestive system end up in "proteins*"? Are they being stored directly in the fats, within cells, between muscle fibers...?

(* the article seems to be using the term "protein" in the culinary sense, not the molecular sense).

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