Introduction
The increasing use of Microplastics and Nanoplastics across a wide array of consumer and industrial products has led to plastic pollution in water and soil. These microbeads have been transmitted to the bloodstream and even the breast milk of humans. The presence of these micro and Nanoparticles has also been detected among animals, fishes, and other marine animals. Hence, overall the food ecosystem has been impacted raising the need for food safety.
Microplastics and nano-plastics: Analyzing Features and Characteristics
Sources
Micro-plastics and Nano-plastics are found in household items such as toys, household appliances, cosmetics, medical applications, automotive parts, textiles, packaging, and building and construction materials. Most plastic wastes accumulate in landfills and the environment because only limited amounts of plastics are recycled or incinerated. Plastic pollution can be found throughout the environment. They are present on land to streams and inland waterways to the coast and the ocean.
Non-Biodegradable
Most plastics are non-biodegradable. These plastics instead break down due to the process of weathering in the environment over time into small particles. These are termed as Micro-plastics and Nano-plastics.
Entering Food Chain
Most of the Microplastics and nanoplastics are present in food. These particles enter through environmental contamination where foods are grown or raised. However, there is not sufficient scientific evidence to show that Microplastics and nanoplastics from plastic food packaging migrate into foods and beverages. People are mainly exposed to Micro-plastics and nanoplastics through the air, food, and absorption through the skin from the use of personal care products.
Size and Shape
Microplastics and nanoplastics are found in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. These can be found in varying polymer types, states of degradation, and the presence of chemical additives included in plastics during the manufacturing process. These are very small pieces of plastic that are typically considered less than five millimeters in size in at least one dimension. Nano-plastics are even smaller, typically considered to be less than one µm, or micron, in size. For reference, the diameter of a human hair is about 70 microns.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics: In Eyes of Food Safety Regulators
Optimal Presence Acceptable
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, the presence of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in food is fine unless it creates a health concern. Although daily use items such as salt, seafood, sugar, beer, bottled water, honey, milk, and tea contain these particles. However current scientific evidence and studies do not demonstrate that the levels of Micro-plastics or nanoplastics detected in foods pose a risk to human health.
Lack of Standardized Method
There are currently no standardized methods to detect, quantify, or characterize Microplastics and nanoplastics. Further, many of the scientific studies have used methods of variable, questionable, and/or limited accuracy and specificity.
Plastic Pollution & Human Health
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors the Microplastics or Nanoplastics in food based on scientific evidence. Microplastics and nanoplastics have been found in human samples. It has been found in urine, stool, blood, and organs. However, there is still ambiguity on their potential health effects.
Study on Impact
The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry formed a Micro-plastics workgroup in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health to define human health risks from Micro-plastics and nano-plastics. They are studying the short and long-term effects on public health. Some of the studies suggest there may be impacts to human health from exposure to Micro-plastics and nano-plastics but the overall scientific evidence does not demonstrate that levels of Micro-plastics or nanoplastics found in foods pose a risk to human health.
Conclusion
Although nanoplastics and microplastics are used widely across several domains. Also, they have entered the human body and food chain as foreign particles. But there are no FDA regulations that authorize their use as ingredients added to our foods. Even Micro-plastics and nanoplastics in both tap and bottled water are found extensively but the scientific evidence does not demonstrate that it poses a risk to human health. Increasing contamination of food and water and their intrusion into the food web and food chain must be studied thoroughly so that any future human catastrophe can be averted.