Some recent studies seem to suggest taking a new and more cautious look at plastic water bottles and frozen meal containers.
Discover incredible Insider Deals that will make your life a little bit easierFILE - A blue rectangular piece of microplastic sits on the finger of a researcher with the University of Washington-Tacoma environmental science program, after it was found in debris collected from the Thea Foss Waterway, in Tacoma, Wash., on May 19, 2010. – Microplastics have been found in the ocean and the air, in our food and water.
These miniscule plastics have been detected in air, water and soil, in milk, and in bottled and tap drinking water. They also have been found in a variety of foods, including salt, sugar, honey, rice and seafood.There is scientific debate about how much people inhale and ingest, and it can vary on what they eat and drink and where they live, researchers say.
“Microplastics have been measured in pretty much all of the body tissues that have been evaluated,” said Tracey Woodruff, a University of California at San Francisco researcher. Scientists have even reported finding them in theThere’s also not an obvious signal of widespread public health impact, at least in terms of mortality. Cancer, heart disease and stroke death rates have been falling, not rising.
Available information indicates plastics can spark inflammation and cause other problematic changes in the body that can, for example, raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year suggested, but did not prove, that patients with evidence of plastics in their arteries were at greater risk of death from heart attacks and strokes. But an expert not involved in the research suggested the study may have overstated any effects.
And opt for reusable stainless steel or glass water bottles, rather than disposable plastic ones, she added.
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