this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
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I am busy and don't have time to research all of the ways corporations have poisoned us.

What are some good rules on how to avoid microplastics?

Eat local foods? Avoid processed foods? Walk/bike? Use dry soaps? Don't use any take away containers? Avoid walking near busy roads? Use cotton/wool for all clothing?

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[–] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Use only textiles made of cotton, wool or linen (I recommend linen in summer and wool in winter, since cotton isn't very good at conserving your body heat), look for a bamboo toothbrush, avoid foods in plastic packaging (this can sadly be difficult) and only put them in ceramic, metal or glass containers.

I assume your goal is to minimise the amount of microplastics inside your body, so the materials that touch your food are a priority. The amount of microplastics in your food or drink also depends on how long they are in contact with plastic. For example, if you have juice in a plastic bottle, drinking it right away or putting it in a plasticless container would probably result in less microplastics than storing it in the said bottle.

If you are more concerned about nature, try shopping at second-hand stores.

[–] xilliah@beehaw.org 2 points 2 months ago

I just want to note that I had to switch away from bamboo brushes due to them not having soft versions where I live.

[–] orenishii@feddit.nl 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Do you have a source for this? Can hardly imagine putting leftovers in a tupperware style container will get microplastics in the food. Unless your scraping it like a wildman with utensils.

[–] Keeponstalin@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] orenishii@feddit.nl 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Thats a nice article thanks. But it does not answer my question.

Sure heating stuff in plastic doesn’t sounds good but storing in plastic.. I can hardly imagine the plastic to just dissolve into to the food. Especially if the food is solid.

Still interested if somebody has a solid source for this.

[–] Keeponstalin@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

Here's another article that has more sources

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-do-we-know-about-microplastics-in-food#The-dangers-of-microplastics

It's important to keep in mind that nothing is really 'static,' the molecules consisting of the plastic and food are still vibrating and decaying into its local environment due to entropy, everything is to some extent. While strong and resilient, plastic molecules will still 'leech' out. The concern is more to what extent. High temperatures and liquids would be the highest risk factor, while low temperatures and solids would be much lower.

I think storing solids in plastic at room or cold temperatures are fine. But I avoid microwaving or storing hot items in plastic and opt for glass or ceramic instead. Our entire bodies are already compromised with micro plastics so for me it's just about minimizing exposure when I can