American scientists have evaluated the quantity of microplastics and nanoplastics released on food when heating a plastic container in the microwave.
- Micro- and nanoplastics can have serious health consequences for young children and infants.
- Scientists have recently become interested in the release of nanoplastics and microplastics into food.
- They found that microwaving plastic containers results in the greatest release of microplastics and nanoplastics.
In a recent study, American researchers observed the impact of the release of microplastics and nanoplastics in food, particularly that of infants and young children.
An evaluation of the cytotoxicity microplastics and nanoplastics
“Unfortunately, infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to the potential health effects of microplastics and nanoplastics. Studies have shown significant ingestion of these particles in polypropylene baby bottles and silicone rubber pacifiers. We have sought to study releases of microplastics and nanoplastics, to estimate their exposure for infants and young children and to evaluate their cytotoxicity for human embryonic kidney cells.explained Kazi Albab Hussain, co-author of the study and graduate of the University of Nebraska (United States) to Medical Research.
During this work published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the scientists conducted different experiments, in order to simulate different usage scenarios. They included storing plastic containers of food in the refrigerator, at room temperature, at high temperature, or heating them in the microwave for three minutes.
Microwave heating: “some containers released up to 4.22 million microplastics”
According to the results, microwave heating was responsible for the highest release of microplastics and nanoplastics. “From just one square centimeter of plastic, some containers released up to 4.22 million microplastics and 2.11 billion nanoplastics during three minutes of microwave heating. Additionally, over a period of six months, millions, if not billions, of microplastics and nanoplastics have been released from refrigerated containers or stored at room temperature,” said the researcher. In vitro studies were also conducted, and revealed that released microplastics and nanoplastics caused cell death, at certain concentrations and exposure times, of human embryonic kidney cells.
