Plastics in the Water, in the Air- Nano, Micro Plastics Everywhere

You know the old saying, “Life is so serious you can’t take it seriously?” I have a new slogan- “Consuming nano plastics by drinking out of plastic bottles and faucets while eating fish that contain microplastics is so serious that you can’t afford to not take it seriously.”

Give Me the Bad News First

Things started to go off the rails around 1978 when Coca Cola and others major international corporations decided to convert from glass to plastic bottles. Forty-five years later, between 484 and 525 billion plastic bottles are purchased around the world every year. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as some 5 trillion plastic bags are used annually. The problem? It is estimated that a mere 9% of plastic consumed is recycled. ?

No matter where we live (with a few exceptions), nano and micro plastics are now omnipresent in our daily lives. “Millions of tons of plastic are produced around the world each year,” said Douglas Walker, an analytical chemist at Emory University who was not involved in the new research. Microscopic particles from those plastics can end up in food and beverages from the manufacturing process. They might be introduced through plastic tubing used in machinery, for example, or leach in from packaging such as plastic bottles.

Where’s the Silver Lining?

The existence of microplastics (1 μm to 5 mm in length) and nano plastics (<1 μm) has recently raised health concerns. However, detecting nano plastics imposes tremendous analytical challenges on both the nano-level sensitivity and the plastic-identifying specificity, leading to a knowledge gap in this mysterious nanoworld invading us.

Scientists who study microplastics and nano plastics believe that “the smaller the particle size, the more dangerous it may be,” according to Dr. Wei Min, a biophysicist at Columbia University. Nano plastics may have a greater impact on health than microplastics because there are more of them, and because they may be able to enter cells more easily. Measuring less than a micron, these nano plastics are often a tiny fraction of the size of a speck of household dust.

“In the new study, scientists developed a novel imaging technique which showed that the number of nano plastic particles in bottled water was between 10 and 100 times higher than previously estimated,” said Dr. Min.“ A liter of bottled water contains nearly a quarter of a million pieces of nano plastic on average,” according to?new research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And it just keeps on coming with no end in sight- not even a slowdown.

??Does Recycling Plastics solve the problem or exacerbate the issue?

This was a stunner when I first came across it. The recycling process releases enormous amounts of toxins into the environment that are contained in plastics. Is it possible that recycling plastics is worse than letting them be? According to a report issued by Asian Scientists Magazine concerning recycled plastics, they often contain higher levels of chemicals such as toxic flame retardants, benzene and other carcinogens, environmental pollutants including brominated and chlorinated dioxins, and numerous endocrine disruptors that can cause changes to the body’s natural hormone levels.” Dr Therese Karlsson, a science adviser with the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), said: “Plastics are made with toxic chemicals, and these chemicals don’t simply go away when plastics are recycled. The science clearly shows that plastic recycling is a toxic endeavor with threats to our health and the environment all along the recycling stream.”

Separate research has found breaking down plastics for recycling?scatters microplastic pollution?into the environment. “Plastics are inherently incompatible with a circular economy,” the global environmental network said in a report that brings together research showing recycled plastics are more toxic than their virgin constituents. This is so serious that representatives from 173 countries last year agreed to develop a legally binding treaty covering the ‘full lifecycle’ of plastics from production to disposal.??????

Researchers don’t have strong evidence yet for how these particles affect our health. A handful of small studies have found that they can cross the?blood-brain barrier, enter the?placenta?and show up in our?urine. “If a particular microplastic or nano plastic is present in a tissue, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it causes damage,” said Dr. Konstantinos Lazaridis, a gastroenterologist who studies the role of environmental factors in liver disease at Mayo Clinic.

What are PHTHALATES and Where Are They Hiding?

This is going to be off the charts ugly, so brace yourselves. Phthalates, as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, are detrimental to the reproductive, neurological, and developmental systems of humans from multiple exposure pathways. Phthalates are intentionally added ingredients that can be found in food and beverages as they escape from food processing equipment, food packing, and food preparation materials. It’s not a surprise that common fast-food items such as cheese pizza, chicken nuggets, chicken burritos, burgers and more contain detectable amounts of phthalates. Certain dairy and fatty meats and chicken also contain Phthalates.

BEVERAGES

TOTAL PHTHALATES PER SERVING (NANOGRAMS)*

?

Brisk Iced Tea?Lemon (can)???????????????????????????? 7,467

?

Coca-Cola?Original (plastic)???????????????????????????? 6,167

?

Lipton?Diet Green Tea Citrus (plastic)????????????? 4,433

?

Poland Spring?100% Natural Spring (plastic) ? 4,217

?

Juicy Juice?100% Juice Apple (plastic)??????????? 3,348

?

Pepsi Cola?(can)????????????????????????????????????????????? 2,938

?

Juicy Juice?100% Apple (cardboard box)?? ??????2,260

?

Gatorade?Frost Thirst Quencher Glacier Freeze (plastic) 1,752

?

Polar?Seltzer Raspberry Lime (can)???????????????? 0

?

How Consumers can avoid phthalates and de-tox from themselves??? Avoid vinyl toys, perfumed shampoo, and lotion. Minimize the use of vinyl flooring, lubricating oils, and personal-care products such as soaps, shampoos, and hair sprays. Phthalates are found in polyvinyl chloride plastics (PVC’s) such as garden hoses, plastic packaging, and medical tubing. DO NOT buy PVC toys that contain phthalates. ?

The Science Does Not Provide a Warm and Fuzzy Feeling

That’s hardly comforting to people who drink water or other liquids out of plastic bottles. “It’s possible that tiny plastic pieces simply pass through most people’s bodies without causing much harm,” Dr. Lazaridis said. Or it might be that these environmental particles only have an impact in people who already have genetic predispositions to disease, he said. Some researchers have theorized that microplastics may be behind disease patterns that haven’t yet been explained by other causes, such as the increase in?colorectal cancers among young people, or the uptick in?Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. But studies are far from conclusive. “

“A growing body of literature suggests that at least some additives and chemicals found in and alongside plastics can harm our health,” according to Dr. Walker. “This includes chemicals like?bisphenol A, or BPA, which has been linked to increased blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. BPA is a hormone-mimicking chemical found in nearly all food packaging plastics (including plastic water bottles).

Research suggests that almost all plastics may leach chemicals such as BPA. If they are scratched or heated, it may cause cancer. BPA is a weak synthetic estrogen that can be found in more rigid plastic products, food and formula can linings, dental sealants addition. More disconcerting are the effects on children. Researchers have also linked BPA to developmental and health problems in children, including but not limited to ADHD, anxiety and depression, early puberty in girls, diabetes, and last, but not least, heart disease. BPA can also affect brain development in the womb.

According to a study in the?International Journal of Endocrinology, chronic ingestion of BPA can lead to a variety of hormonal changes and fertility issues, such as cryptorchidism,?certain cancers, testicular health issues, as well as decreased fertility in males. Experts also need to better understand exactly how quickly various plastic particles and additives get into our systems, and how much may need to accumulate to cause an effect and how long they linger.

From Bad to Worse

Additional chemicals appear in water, such as the common polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which may also affect fertility. However, many other chemicals used in plastic manufacturing haven’t been studied for toxicity in humans. “One study identified?more than 10,000 unique compounds?used in plastic manufacturing and found only a very small fraction had been evaluated for potential health effects,” Dr. Walker said. “You may?not be able to avoid?nano plastics or microplastics entirely, but if you want to err on the side of caution, you can take steps to reduce exposure.”

“Consuming weathered microplastics may cause brain damage,” says a study reported by Asian Scientists Magazine (August 30, 2023). “Weathering can cause microplastics to be even more toxic. In addition, microplastics that have undergone natural weathering acted as harmful neurotoxins in mice, shows a study from South Korea. The particles can undergo further degradation when exposed to natural conditions. Sunlight, heat, wind, and waves introduce further chemical and physical alterations to microplastics, resulting in weathered microplastics.

In a recent study published in Environmental Research, Korean scientists have found that continuous consumption of these weathered microplastics triggered severe inflammation and toxicity in the brains of mice. “Through proteomics-based analysis, we have, for the first time, identified that plastic leaked into the environment undergoes an accelerated weathering process, transforming it into secondary microplastics that can serve as neurotoxic substances, leading to increased inflammation and cell death in the brain,” said Choi Sungkyun, Head of the Core Protein Resource Center at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST).

What Can Informed Consumers Do?

Avoid buying foods wrapped in plastic and drinking any liquids out of plastic water bottles. You can also install or buy water filtrations systems for your homes or apartments, and even restaurant chains, if the system can filter out particles that are 1 μm in size. No offense to the multitudes of water filtration products on the market today. But most of them cannot filter out nano or micro plastics, let alone PFAS, from the water you drink.

Imagine all the plastic bottles that have accumulated in landfills as well as oceans, lakes, and rivers in the last forty-five years. Coca Cola, for example, started producing Coke products in plastic bottles as far back as 1978. Pepsi wasn’t far behind, and either was Nestles bottled water, which has been an absolute disaster to the global environment, including the oceans. I should also mention large companies that produce shampoos and toothpaste in plastic containers as co-conspirators in the game. For the life of me, I can’t understand why governments and states tax Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nestles, P&G, and other companies every plastic bottle of liquid they sell. At least it would pay for some of the cleanup and the healthcare mess that plastics create.? Let’s transform the behemoth beverage and consumer companies to be part of the solution and not just part of the problem, as they have been for decades.

Consumers can demand from certain beverages company that they will only buy products that use glass or aluminum, even if it means higher transportation costs that are passed on to the consumer. Perhaps states could give rebates to consumers who recycle glass and aluminum. I would gladly pay more to rid my body and the environment of plastic bottles. It is estimated that the burden on the U.S. healthcare system from ingesting micro and nano plastics is well over $250 million annually and continues to grow.

Forcing companies to disclose that there are BPA’s and phthalates in their plastic products would go a long way to leveling the playing field in favor of the consumer. You can de-tox your body and eliminate phthalates with good, old-fashioned aerobic exercise and sweat it out. A good steam or sauna can also do the trick.

(The information contained herein is an aggregate of articles from the Guardian and Asian Scientist, as well as direct research from certain universities and research labs primarily in the U.S. and Asia.)

Written by Stewart Flink. Mr. Flink has an MBA in Finance from Kellogg Graduate Business School and a BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University. He has been in business for over forty years, and founded Dillon Capital in August of 1998, where has been the managing member of Dillon Capital since inception. His first novel, “For All the Water,” was published in October in 2023, and he is currently working on a sequel called “For All the Power.”