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Did you know that every month even 21 grams of plastic goes into our body, which means over a quarter of a kilogram a year? This is roughly the same as 60 dice! [1] Is there a way to reduce this amount?
Plastic is everywhere. It is extremely useful and you can say that it even changed our lives, but unfortunately – it poses a serious threat to our health. When it was invented, it was considered a boon – it helped manufacturers produce goods the way they wanted while remaining profitable.
Now we are witnessing that it does a lot of damage. Everyone is trying to limit the use of plastic to stop a natural disaster – unfortunately it looks like the damage has already been done. At the current rate of production, the amount of plastic around the world could increase by 2030% by 40, flooding our planet with toxic waste even more. If this trend continues, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. [2]
The latest reports on the discovery of microplastics in human blood – what does this prove?
Microscopic pieces of plastic have been discovered in the most remote places, from the depths of the oceans to the ice of the Arctic. Another place where plastic appears is inside our bodies. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade – instead it breaks down into smaller pieces and eventually ends up everywhere, including in our digestive system. [4]
Microplastics, i.e. particles smaller than 5 millimeters, are not a new problem – they first appeared in personal care products 50 years ago. Fine pieces of polyethylene have been used as exfoliants in many personal care products such as cleansers, soaps and toothpastes. Due to their size, they easily bypass traditional water filtration systems and end up in further circulation.
Analyze No Plastic in Nature: Assessing Plastic Ingestion from Nature to People Based on a study commissioned by WWF and conducted by the University of Newcastle in Australia, the average global consumption rate is over 2000 tiny pieces of plastic, or 5 grams per week, which is the weight of a credit card! [3] The fact of consuming microplastics is also confirmed by a study that showed the presence of plastic in the feces of respondents from Europe, Our Country and Japan. [4]
Where does plastic come from in our bodies? Microplastics are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the clothes we wear and the food we eat. As scientists emphasize, the main sources of microplastics in our body are drinking water, both tap and bottled, beer, salt, fish and crustaceans. [5]
How does plastic affect our health?
Assessing the health risk of microplastics requires considering three aspects:
– the physical influence of the particles themselves,
– chemical – compounds contained in plastic particles and chemicals from the environment that can be bound by plastic particles, e.g. microplastic can adsorb heavy metals and transport them along the food chain, which is a huge challenge for the safety of the ecosystem,
– microorganisms that can attach and grow on microplastics to form biofilms.
As a class of contaminants, microplastics are second to none in terms of complexity, variety and durability, posing a serious challenge to scientists. [7] [8]
Various measures are being implemented around the world to mitigate the known and unknown impacts of microplastics on public health and the environment. These efforts range from top-down measures, such as the ban on single-use plastics by Taiwan, to bottom-up measures such as California’s macro-size discharge requirements into waterways. [9]
Accordingly, how do we limit the amount of plastic in our daily choices?
It has been known for a long time how a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important for maintaining health.
The most important thing is to choose consciously from proven suppliers. Be interested in where the products and their ingredients come from. In this way, you will not only serve the planet, but also support responsible suppliers and your health.
DHA fatty acids are extremely important in a conscious, balanced diet. DHA is one of the most important omega-3 fatty acids, which is especially important in the period when the central nervous system is developing most intensively – the brain and eyesight, therefore it is very important in especially for pregnant women, babies and children. Its sources are, among others oily sea fish. It is worth reaching for its vegetable source, which can be found in nuts, algae, tofu, vegetable oils, e.g. linseed, soybean and rapeseed, as well as in linseed. However, when, despite a balanced diet, we need supplementation it is worth reaching for products containing a vegetable source of Omega 3 acids from algae grown under controlled conditions.
Nowadays, we should pay particular attention to what we buy, what we eat and how we can best nourish our body and live consciously, and at the same time not “produce” the next tons of plastic that fills our planet, including the seas and oceans. It is only up to us what everyday products we make not only for ourselves, our children, but also for our planet.
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