How to reduce microplastics in daily meals?

Microplastics are in our air, water and food. Scientists say people are eating tens of thousands of microplastic particles from food every year without even knowing it.

Rice may contain microplastics during production - Illustration: D.LIEU

Microplastics silently enter food

According to scientists, microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5mm in size. However, most microplastics exist at the micrometer size, in addition to microplastics as small as nano with a diameter of less than 0.001mm.

Doctor Nguyen Huy Hoang, head of the hyperbaric oxygen treatment department of the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center, said that microplastic particles are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, so we often eat microplastic particles without knowing it.

Microplastics are in our air, water and food. Scientists say people are eating tens of thousands of microplastic particles from food every year without even knowing it.

Even healthy foods like rice contain microplastics. Microplastics get into rice during processing, manufacturing and packaging, said Dr. Huy Hoang.

According to a study from the University of Queensland (Australia), people swallow at least 3 - 4mg of microplastics for every 1/2 cup of rice we eat.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, food technology expert, said that currently agricultural production uses many plastic products such as: soil covering film, seed and fertilizer packaging...

The reason is that plastic products have many advantages: light, durable, cheap. This causes microplastics to gradually accumulate in agricultural land and through the food chain into the human body.

The expert said that it is possible for rice to contain microplastics, especially when the amount of plastic waste in Vietnam is so large. Managing and treating plastic waste is a challenge for authorities.

Reducing microplastics in rice

Dr. Hoang said that to reduce microplastics in rice, people can do a very simple thing, which is to wash rice. Washing rice can remove microplastic particles that stick to the surface of rice during transportation and packaging. Washing rice also helps remove sand, gravel, bran, dust, and dirt in rice.

In addition, rice contains very small amounts of inorganic arsenic, and washing rice will help reduce this substance. Washing rice before cooking will also help the cooked rice become softer and less sticky.

According to scientists from the University of Queensland, the University of Cagliari (Italy) and the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), rice should be washed in the era of microplastic pollution, because rice can also be contaminated with microplastics.

Rinsing rice can remove up to 0.9 mg of contaminated plastic per 100g of rice.

In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that further research be conducted on the harmful effects of microplastics on human health.

A recent report by scientists on the impact of microplastics on health shows that swelling and congestion in the brain are the consequences of microplastic accumulation. Microplastics cause oxidative stress and are toxic to human cells, causing cytotoxicity in the brain and epithelial cells.

Microplastics also directly affect metabolism by altering metabolic enzymes or causing energy imbalances.

In addition, diseases related to the nervous system, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, autism, mental illness, and cardiovascular diseases have also been shown to be related to microplastics.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cach-nao-giam-vi-nhua-trong-bua-an-hang-ngay-20250304153057125.htm