Plastic: The Hidden Food Additive

Reducing plastic use can not only save the planet, but also can safeguard your health, according to studies. Plastic is hiding in what you are eating, drinking and breathing. 

The invitation to my friend Scott’s birthday party had the usual time and place details – and a unique heads-up. There would be a water station with jugs of water and cups, he told us, but absolutely no tubs of plastic, individual-serving water bottles typically found at get-togethers. He’s an environmentally-aware guy, and his invitation was a wakeup call to the rest of us—please pay attention and help him save the planet.

Reducing plastic use can not only save the planet, but also can safeguard our health, accumulating research suggests. Technology advances have made it possible to study the tiny particles, called microplastics and nanoplastics, that plastics degrade into and are ingested in food and drink. A new study that grabbed a lot of headlines has found that people with these microplastics in their bodies appear to be at much higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

Plastics Peril

The researchers studied 300 people  who had surgery to clean plaque out of their carotid arteries (on each side of the neck). Those who had the plastics detected in their plaque had 4.5 times the chance of having a heart attack or stroke or dying from any cause in the next 34 months compared to those who had no plastics detected. The experts can’t prove cause-and-effect but found a strong link between the two.

“That’s a pretty impactful study,” says Ami Zota, PhD, associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, New York, an expert in the field who was not involved in the study. The report, she says, makes it evident that plastics aren’t just an environmental concern but have a direct impact on humans.

How Bad is the Plastics Problem?

More than 9 billion tons of plastics have been produced since the 1950’s, some scientists estimate. The production of plastics is continuing to increase and to persist until 2050.

Plastics pollute via winds, ocean currents and the earth. Once released, plastics degrade to microplastics, which enter the body via ingestion, inhalation and skin exposure. They have been found in the placenta, lungs, liver, breast milk, urine and blood. Microplastics are smaller than 0.197 inches; nanoparticles, less than 1,000 nanometers.

“We know microplastics are building up in our bodies,” says Tasha Stoiber, PhD, senior scientist  at Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group focused on protecting environmental health in Washington, D.C.  It explains the “macro problem” of microplastics here.

The new research linking plastic ingestion with heart issues builds on much other evidence of the ill effects of plastics. Zota has long studied the effects of substances known as phthalates or plasticizers (chemicals that make plastics more durable) and found they can affect fertility and boost preterm birth, among other issues. More than 17 years ago, a report finding high levels of bisphenol  A (BPA) in baby bottles sent people scrambling to buy glass ones—and the FDA later to prohibit its use.

Plastics and Fast Food

Fast food, in particular, has high levels of plastics. Those who eat fast food, research by Zota and others have found, have high levels of phthalates and BPA.  According to a 2016 report, black adults, compared to white, Asian or Hispanic, were more likely to eat fast food. And living in a “food swamp”—an area with many easily available fast food options—can increase the risk for stroke, researchers reported at a 2023 American Stroke Association meeting.

What We Can Do About Plastics

First, dismiss the attitude that the plastics problem is not solvable. “I think a lot of people feel there is little the individual can do because it [plastic use] is built into the convenience of modern life,” Stoiber says. Among the steps Stoiber and Zota suggest:

• Instead of plastic water bottles, use a refillable steel bottle for drinking water.
• Use a wood cutting board instead of a plastic one when preparing or chopping food.
• Don’t microwave food in plastic containers; the plastic breaks down.
• Take your own reusable containers to a restaurant to use for leftovers.
• At events or workplaces, don’t use single-use cutlery or plates.
• Don’t think you’re a champ for the plastics reduction cause just because you recycle. It’s useful, but not a 100% solution, Stoiber said. Depending on the type of plastic, some forms are difficult to recycle, she said.

Become An Activist for Plastics Reduction

• Educate yourself on the issues. For instance, EWG posts relevant information and facts—such as the finding that the average person consumes up to 52,000 microplastic particles a year in food and drink alone, not counting inhaled particles.
• Put pressure on elected officials to take action, Stoiber suggests. Ask officials to support testing of microplastics in drinking water. Push for other laws aiming to reduce plastic use or boost recycling. California’s SB 54 will require all plastics there to be recycled or compostable by 2032, for example.

Your Turn

Have you reduced plastics use in your daily life? Share your tips in the comments!

 

Kathleen Doheny is a Los Angeles-based independent journalist, specializing in health, behavior, fitness and lifestyle stories. Besides writing for Senior Planet, she reports for WebMD, Medscape, MedCentral and other sites.  She is a mom, mother-in-law and proud and happy Mimi who likes to hike, jog and shop.
Doheny photo: Shaun Newton

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