Microplastics-Food-Pollution – Source: Food Infotech
Chijioke Iremeka
In recent years, medical and environmental experts have raised concerns over what they described as a silent menace threatening the environment and human health in the form of microplastics.
These are tiny particles of plastic less than 5 millimetres in size, which they noted had infiltrated the soil, oceans, and even the air we breathe.
The experts are worried over the rising challenge of cleansing these plastics from the human body, particularly from the bloodstream to reduce health risks that include liver damage.
They noted that it could cause cell stress, damage Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and change metabolism or cell function.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, recent evidence indicates that humans constantly inhale and ingest microplastics through contaminated seafood, including fish and shellfish.
The UNDP further stated that additionally, microplastics have been found in tap water, bottled water, and even commonly consumed beverages, such as beer and salt.
“In fact, a new study estimates that the average adult consumes approximately 2,000 microplastics per year through salt.
“Different chemicals can leach from our plastic water bottles, knives and dermatologic products to enter our bodies. These compounds are linked to serious health issues such as endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health, and cancer.”
While there is an overwhelming consensus among all stakeholders that plastics do not belong in the environment, and measures should be taken to mitigate exposure, they said it is quite difficult to eliminate these plastics from the bloodstream and major organs of the human body, and suggested that increasing the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods could help mitigate the negative impact.
The physicians advocated a reduction in the risk factors associated with microplastic exposure by lowering the amount people come in contact with and consume.
Nanoplastics, they said, do not readily biodegrade, and once ingested, may remain for an undetermined length of time in the body, potentially posing a long-term health hazard.
According to a recent study published two weeks ago in the Open Access Journal, Environment International, microplastics are plastic particles of less than 5mm in size and are everywhere in the environment and in consumer products.
Titled, ‘Assessment of human dermal absorption of flame retardant additives in polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics using 3D human skin equivalent models,’ the study confirmed that nanoplastics are detected in human stool, lungs, and blood.
The researchers found that the skin could absorb up to eight per cent of the exposure dose but that specific amounts varied, indicating that sweaty skin was more likely to absorb some flame retardants than dry skin.
It also found that the amount of additives that became available to circulate in the bloodstream did not exceed 0.14 per cent of what was initially present in the microplastics.
The study’s results suggest the need to address microplastic additives that people could be exposed to and concerns that skin absorption can be an exposure route.
More so, available data showed that about 322 million metric tons of plastics were produced in 2016 globally, of which 60 per cent was supplied to the food and beverage industry for food packaging.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise in separate interviews, environmentalists, nutritionists, and public health physicians, who investigate patterns and causes of diseases in humans, highlighted various risk factors associated with nanoplastics exposure and how to avoid them.
According to them, these include eating canned and processed foods packaged or wrapped with micro-nylon such as hot dogs; using plastic materials for food and beverage storage instead of glass, and consuming hot beverages from plastic containers.
Others are utilising plastic plates for cooking dishes like moi-moi instead of using natural leaves; drinking water from plastic containers, and microwaving food in plastic containers, among others.
The professionals insist that the only viable means to mitigate the impact of nanoplastics on the body is through behavioural changes and the implementation of government policies.
They cautioned that nanoplastics in the body can cause several medical challenges including endocrine disruption, insulin resistance, and reproductive issues, stressing that the only effective form of treatment, which is surgery could be fatal; hence, there is a need for behavioural change.
An Epidemiologist and Professor of Public Health at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Adebayo Onajole, said there is no known solution for cleansing microplastics in the human body.
Prof Adebayo Onajole
He explained that the body sees nanoplastics as a foreign substance and develops fibrous tissues to enclose it in order not to harm the body.
Onajole noted that the enclosure of the nanoplastics by the fibrous tissues is the reason he described it as a very difficult thing to remove.
“You can’t be treating the individual and causing the death of the individual at the same time,” he declared.
The epidemiologist noted that fibrous tissues are very tiny and their impact depends on the organs of the body where the nanplastics end up.
According to him, the only solution may be surgery to remove the enclosed nanoplastics, which is as good as killing the person as well.
He noted that this poses a big challenge because the Nigeria and rest of the world are shifting and adapting to all manner of modified plastics use and urged the government to make policies geared towards controlling industries or corporations that produce them.
He said, “Recently, the Lagos State government banned styrofoam because they are not biodegradable. The word nano means very minute. The minute plastic gets into the body; the body automatically sees it as a foreign body and encloses it in the fibroblast as a way of defending itself.
“A fibroblast is a type of cell that contributes to the formation of connective tissue, which is a fibrous cellular material that supports and connects other tissues or organs in the body.
“So, because the nanoplastics may not be excreted easily, the body tries to arrest it by producing fibrous tissues. The amount of fibrous tissues produced depends on the amount of the nanoplastics in the body.
“Nanoplastics damage the normal cells of the body, especially the organs where they end up. If the amount of cell damage is too much, that organ may malfunction.
“If it is ingested through food, it will get to the liver because most food passes through the portal vessel to the liver before going to other parts of the body. It may damage the cells and lead to thickening of the tissues or liver sclerosis.”
The epidemiologist further highlighted the critical role of the liver in the body’s metabolism, emphasising that if it cannot metabolise substances adequately due to damage from nanoplastics, it may lead to liver failure.
Similarly, he noted that if nanoplastics are inhaled and deposited in the lungs, they can impair lung function, potentially leading to respiratory issues.
Onajole underscored the health consequences of nanoplastics contamination and the importance of mitigating exposure to safeguard organ function and overall well-being.
Also, an Environmentalist and the President of the Recyclers Association, Dr Femi Idowu-Adegoke, said surgery may be the solution to removing nanoplastics from the body.
He, however, noted that there are different types of plastics but not all of them are harmful to the body.
Dr Femi Idowu-Adegoke
Idowu-Adegoke said the problem is not the plastics themselves but the way humans manage the plastics, stressing that since the beginning of the second industrial revolution when plastics came to be used as a more durable and portable packaging material, the world had seen plastics grow in leaps and bounds.
He said that people practically use plastic to package almost everything, but the issue is how they are managed like other wastes.
The environmentalist stressed that there is always a conversation about the end-of-life management system of plastics.
Idowu-Adegoke underscored the importance of raising awareness about the environmental and health risks associated with improper management of plastics, emphasising that if not managed effectively, they can contaminate water bodies and ultimately enter the human bloodstream, posing serious health concerns.
With scientific evidence confirming the presence of microplastics in human bodies, he harped on the urgent need to increase education and advocacy to promote behavioural changes that may reduce plastic pollution and its associated health risks.
He said, “When we have done that, we begin to look for more sustainable and best alternatives for plastics because if you tell people not to use plastic now, then what is the alternative?
“First, educate the people and then enforce the law. There might be the use of carrots and sticks to do this for waste management and plastic recovery as well. Having said that, we need to phase out these plastics and get better alternatives.
“If we don’t do that, plastic will take over. We need to manage our waste front and the environment. It is not just that alone, there are also economic, social, and environmental aspects to it.”
On the other hand, a Consultant Endocrinologist and Gastroenterologist at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom State, Professor Uduak Okon, said encouraging individuals to consume foods rich in antioxidants is pivotal in mitigating the complications of harmful agents in the body.
Prof Uduak Okon
He noted that antioxidants play active roles in neutralising free radicals, thereby reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
According to him, vitamin supplements such as vitamins C and E can bolster the body’s defence mechanisms against the impact of nanoplastics.
Okon, who is also the Dean, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Uyo, noted that if nanoplastics induce insulin resistance, it can contribute to the development of diabetes.
“Insulin resistance impedes the effective functioning of insulin, leading to hormonal disruptions and potential complications such as estrogen imbalances and infertility.
“Hence, minimising exposure to such harmful agents is strongly advised to safeguard overall health and well-being,” he added.
Corroborating his position, a Nutritionist and Professor at the Department of Nursing Science, University of Calabar, Cross River State, Mary Mgbekem, stressed the need to consume organic foods, insisting that processed foods may be harmful to the body.
Prof Mary Mgbekem
“The diseases that we suffer from today were not known to our fathers who ate only organic food from the farm and drank water from fresh streams.
“Processed foods have a lot of chemicals in them and sometimes, materials used in packaging and preserving them are the major causes of the challenges we have today,” she added.
Meanwhile, a study published in the National Library of Medicine, by Joana Prata et al, titled, ‘Solutions and Integrated Strategies for the Control and Mitigation of Plastic and Microplastic Pollution,’ called for a reduction in human contact with nanoplastics.
The authors noted that food in single-use water bottles, to-go food containers, and storage wraps are examples of common plastic-based food packaging that contains microplastics.
These plastics, the study says, contain an array of chemicals, including stabilisers, lubricants, fillers, and plasticisers, and that when exposed to some environmental conditions, such as heat, causes the plastics to break into smaller fragments called microplastics.
The study revealed that heating food in plastic packaging, long storage times, and the type of plastic packaging used determine the amount of microplastics and their harmful chemicals that leech into food.
The researchers maintained that mismanaged waste is a major land-based source of plastic pollution that can be reduced through improvements in the life-cycle of plastics, especially in production, consumption, and disposal, through an Integrated Waste Management System.
The authors gave 10 recommendations that could reduce plastic pollution including regulation of production and consumption as well as eco-design products; increasing the demand for recycled plastics; reducing the use of plastics; and use of renewable energy for recycling.”
Others are: “Extended producer responsibility over waste; improvements in waste collection systems; prioritisation of recycling; use of bio-based and biodegradable plastics; and improvement in recyclability of e-waste among others,” the study stated.
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