It isn’t just seafood that’s loaded with microplastic pollution. In a new study, scientists found microplastics in nearly 90 of sampled meats and meat-like alternatives – including seafood, chicken breasts, beef steaks, tofu, and plant-based burgers.
It’s become well-documented that seafood is often tainted with the presence of microplastics due to the shockingly high quantities of plastic in the planet’s oceans. For instance, a 2017 review found that regular eaters of fish and shellfish could be ingesting up to 11,000 microparticles a year.
However, until now, there’s been relatively little research into the prevalence of plastic in terrestrial protein sources, like beef and chicken.
To pry into the issue, scientists at Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto sampled 16 protein types, including highly processed protein products and minimally processed “fresh” products.
Single-use plastics should have been banned 10-15 years ago and we should be phasing out the rest of them now.
They should have been banned in the early 80’s when we found out how dangerous they are. Humans refuse to be inconvenienced though.
Or there are some megacorps that teach us that so we grow up not even remembering there were any alternatives. Reusable containers were a thing just like paper bags and paper wraps, refills can become a thing one day, but in the supermarket I see individually packed old cucumbers like they are dicks in a condom, and I cringe at the thought they’d be trashed just like that.
Blame petrochemical/oil companies.
Plant based biodegrade plastic exist…
Yes, but they cost a few pennies more. So that’s not possible.
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
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Nearly half (44 percent) of the identified microplastics were fibers, while a third (30 percent) were plastic fragments. This is in tune with other studies that have shown plastic fibers from clothes and other textile products are the most prevalent form of microplastic in the environment.
More important than single-use plastics seems to be synthetic clothing.
And even worse than that? Tires. Now if only we could connect a bunch of cars together and put them on some kind of metal rail with metal wheels instead…
2020 report found tyre dust contributes 78% of the total mass of microplastics
The report says that tires generate 6 million tons of particles a year, globally, of which 200,000 tons end up in oceans. According to Emissions Analytics, cars in the U.S. emit, on average, 5 pounds of tire particles a year, while cars in Europe, where fewer miles are driven, shed 2.5 pounds per year. Moreover, tire emissions from electric vehicles are 20 percent higher than those from fossil-fuel vehicles. EVs weigh more and have greater torque, which wears out tires faster.
https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemicals
You’re spot on. Tires are the biggest contributor to micro plastics.
21st century seasoning
Lmao I’m stealing that
Actually 20th, if the scene from The Graduate was any indication.
Ugh, I hate it when my plastic has meat in it.
… there is no way 10% of our food doesn’t contain microplastics
I fucking hate plastic 🥲
:(
I swear I’m not fat! I just have a lot of microplastics in me.
They should compare meat from cans, from plastic bags and fresh meat…get a live chicken and stab it a few times with a sample core auger. Right? How could we beat torture the animals before we eat them? Grinding them up using plastic bushings makes plastic particles, grinding them using stones makes stone particles. Finally grinding them using carbides and metals leaves carbide and metal particles!
We chew… maybe our methods of animal torture should include calcium carbonate tools, smashers, mushers, cutters, grinders, etc? All particles would then be made of stuff that is good for us.
I’m also curious if the source is microplastics in live animals or if it’s from processing.
Yes, but also maybe just stop eating animals. I did and it was fine.
Did you read the article? Microplastics are found in plant sources too.t
How is it not 100%? I thought that there wasn’t any source of water on Earth that doesn’t have microplastics.
Y’all need to up your game
