this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2024
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Land-based protein sources like chicken, beef, pork and tofu contain as many microplastics as fishes, study finds

Microplastics have been found in nearly 90 per cent of sources of proteins, including meat and plant-based, according to a new study that serves as a startling reminder of how prolific plastic pollution has become.

While the presence of microplastics in commercial fish and shellfish has been known for long, there has been little research into terrestrial protein sources like beef and chicken that make up a large part of the Western diet.

A team of researchers studied samples from 16 different protein types destined for American consumers, including seafood, pork, beef, chicken, tofu, and three different plant-based meat alternatives. They found microplastic particles in 88 per cent of protein food samples tested.

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[–] MisterNeon 86 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Haha sucks for you carnivores, my hippie ass...

and tofu

DAMNIT I GOTS THE PLASTIC GUT FROM BEAN BRICKS!!!

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I make my own tofo, with help from my soy milk machine which is composed mostly of...wait let me check...plastic and acrylic...damn.

[–] MisterNeon 32 points 10 months ago (2 children)

We already gave up animals, maybe we should give up on plants and just eat the plastic directly.

[–] jcg 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nowadays I just consume pure energy

[–] RedAggroBest 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Have you seen Crimes of the Future by chance?

[–] MisterNeon 1 points 10 months ago

Nope, I'm a media weirdo.

[–] cmeu 42 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 33 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I usually don't enjoy the taste of humans as much as fish. I think of them like Tuna though with higher concentrations of Mercury but in their case plastics too.

[–] cmeu 9 points 10 months ago

Try it with fava beans and a nice Chianti

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Agreed. They're pretty much relegated to a once in a while treat

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Have you ever tried them Bones and All?

[–] curiousPJ 37 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Welp, time to run the chicken through the reverse osmosis system too.

Rolls up sleeves

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago

I like my chicken distilled.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

my RO system uses plasic tubes and plastic housings.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

RO provides only the purest of microplastics and the finest BPA.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’m sure our governments and food manufacturers are hard at work addressing this critical issue. /s

[–] cybersandwich 15 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (5 children)

Is it a critical issue?

I'm not read up on the effects of microplastics. I keep hearing they've been found in more things, but what does that mean?

Is it dangerous? Are there actual diseases or medical side effects like we saw from lead for example?

[–] NaughtyKatsuragi 20 points 10 months ago

From limited understanding, it causes inflammation as your body reacts to any amount of stimulis.

And since we cant digest them, our bodies try to fight it, causing inflammation

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

You may as well consider it the lead of the 21st century.

Children in 3045 will be mockingly deriding us in history class for how flippant we were about plastics.

[–] feedum_sneedson 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Really? There doesn't seem to be much evidence of any sort, and I don't have a horse in the race. Other than my body.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Theres plenty of evidence that it causes inflammation, and your body cant break it down. So if it wiggles itself into a spot in your body that isnt easily flushed, its going to stay there causing inflammation basically forever.

On top of that, "microplastic" is a catchall term. Rubber dust from car wheels is a microplastic, that you breathe in any time youre within hearing distance of a road. All that rubber in your lungs, alone, cannot be good.

Thats not even thinking about all the other forms of plastic, or their degredation chemicals, or the films and chem linings they carry.

[–] feedum_sneedson 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Sure, particulate matter of any sort isn't a good thing to inhale. I'm just wondering if there's anything specific to plastic. Some of the additives are proven to be awful but e.g. polyethylene has so little available surface energy I wonder if it can be doing much, chemically speaking. If it's not this it'll be something else, I'm sure.

[–] CosmicCleric 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’m just wondering if there’s anything specific to plastic.

From this article...

What if any damage microplastics may do when they get into our bodies is not clear, but a growing community of researchers investigating these questions thinks there is reason for concern. Inhaled particles might irritate and damage the lungs, akin to the damage caused by other particulate matter. And although the composition of plastic particles varies, some contain chemicals that are known to interfere with the body’s hormones.

[–] feedum_sneedson 2 points 10 months ago

Okay, yes, that's my current understanding.

[–] Woht24 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Bold of you to assume there will be a 3045 for the human race.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oh, easy, we are functional cockroaches of survival.

Maybe we will be a different species by that point, but our descendants are still in many ways us.

[–] Woht24 1 points 10 months ago

Decent point but I also wouldn't put it past us to completely extinct ourselves one day.

[–] MaxVoltage 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

the diversity of microplastics is enormous

most of it is from the plastic that they wrao bread in because they feed it to animals as is

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Or from tires, as they shred and grind themselves into a fine plastic compound so light it floats in the breeze off roadways.

[–] mayo 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Yes it's not good, but research is lacking.

This contamination occurs via multiple sources, including primary microplastics (including synthetic materials) and secondary microplastics (derived from the breakdown of larger plastic particles). Microplastic contamination can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on soil properties.

Additionally, microplastics have been shown to interact with a wide array of contaminants, including pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and antibiotics, and may act as a vector for contaminant transfer in terrestrial environments. Microplastics and their associated chemicals can be transferred through food webs and may accumulate across multiple trophic levels, resulting in potential detrimental health effects for humans and other organisms.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35065936/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34185251/

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Given my druthers, I would rather not find out the hard way.

[–] Coreidan 25 points 10 months ago (2 children)

There is microplastics in everything. It’s in our clothes, our food, the air we breathe. Not a thing you can do to get away from it.

[–] Mr_Blott 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Well that's a defeatist attitude

You can stop breathing

[–] Coreidan 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You’re right I should be like you and just wish

[–] CosmicCleric 1 points 10 months ago

There is microplastics in everything. It’s in our clothes, our food, the air we breathe. Not a thing you can do to get away from it.

Well that’s a defeatist attitude

You can stop breathing

You’re right I should be like you and just wish

There is a range of options available to us between "stop breathing" and "just wish".

Granted, none of them are easy options, but still, they are options.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Natural fibers will have less microplastics than synthetics like polyester (literally plastic fibers). Eating a predominantly plant based diet (actual fruit and veg, not imitation meat) with little to no processed foods from the center aisles will mean ingesting fewer microplastics. Switching from bottled water to filtered will reduce the amount of microplastics you drink. Stop using tupperwares and saran wrap immediately and instead use glass containers whenever possible.

There's no way to get rid of them completely, but there are ways to mitigate your exposure.

[–] xc2215x 21 points 10 months ago

That is an insane number. Wow.

[–] breadsmasher 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Tronn4 4 points 10 months ago

I prefer the Kroger/Target Bag Spice blend

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

2020 - S05E10 - Where’s the Beef?

Microplastics have been found in nearly 90 per cent of sources of proteins, including meat and plant-based, according to a new study that serves as a startling reminder of how prolific plastic pollution has become. While the presence of microplastics in commercial fish and shellfish has been known for long, there has been little research into terrestrial protein sources like beef and chicken that make up a large part of the Western diet. A team of researchers studied samples from 16 different protein types destined for American consumers, including seafood, pork, beef, chicken, tofu, and three different plant-based meat alternatives. They found microplastic particles in 88 per cent of protein food samples tested. - TV-MA, 54 mins

SD, SHD, UHD, Dolby Vision; Dolby Stereo, Dolby Surround, Dolby Atmos

[–] thorbot 8 points 10 months ago

Honestly I would be disappointed if there weren't microplastics in my burgers. It's what the body craves