So far, scientific reports have been published that plastic parts that reach the natural environment cause the death of many animals, especially seabirds, turtles and marine mammals). Now it turns out that they also have health damage
Do you also feel that you or those around you are eating and drinking more from disposable utensils since the beginning of the corona epidemic? You're not alone. Since the beginning of the global corona crisis, plans to reduce theUse Plastic pollutes the environment, were withdrawn or rejected, and at the same time The use of single-use plastic containers has increased, this follows the restrictions taken by various governments in the world, including in Israel, which included a temporary ban on dining together, including in restaurants and dining rooms. As a result, there has been a resurgence of food pickup and delivery in single-use plastic containers. In addition, more people consume food from aluminum containers (whose cardboard lids are covered on the inside with a plastic material) or from packages that contain all or part of plastic.
Now, New research Check how this increased exposure to plastic affects our health.
Until now, scientific reports have been published that plastic parts that reach the natural environment causing the death of many animals and especially of seabirds, turtles and marine mammals). On the other hand, there is still no scientific consensus regarding a direct, causal and unequivocal relationship between Distribution of microplastic particles and health damage to the public and the environment, possibly because the amounts of exposure to microplastic particles that have been studied so far are not large enough to demonstrate health damage to humans. In addition, it is also likely that the research in the field is still in its infancy and there is a lack of data that has not yet been examined in depth.
Now, the prestigious journal Nutrients recently published an innovative study which provides reliable information on the effect of eating hot cooked food from plastic containers or shipping containers on pregnant women.
What can we learn from the Saudi women?
As part of the new study, researchers from West Saudi Arabia collected cross-sectional data on 740 healthy pregnant women from 23 health centers and hospitals throughout the country. Details on the frequency of use of plastic in hot food were collected and analyzes of blood laboratory results of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), the amino acid homocysteine (HCY) and glycated protein (A1C), which is a reliable measure for diagnosing diabetes, were performed. In addition, vitamins and minerals are also selected. The researchers chose TSH because it is a measure of the metabolism in the human body and HCY, because it is a measure of the absorption of B vitamins and the normality of blood vessels.
The participants in the study were divided into those who use plastic for hot food daily (11 percent), weekly (39 percent), monthly (20 percent) and not at all (70 percent). According to the study, in the blood of the women who consumed daily Hot food that came into contact with plastic utensils found TSH, HCY and A1C levels within the normal range, but significantly higher than those who did not consume hot food in plastic containers at all (about 7 percent, 15 percent and 3 percent more, respectively).
In the same way, the blood of those women who consumed hot food from plastic containers every day were also found to have significantly lower levels of zinc and selenium compared to women who regularly consume hot food from reusable containers (5 percent and 8 percent less, respectively). Zinc and selenium are necessary, among other things, for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, which is responsible for the metabolism in our bodies.
Admittedly, there is no unanimity regarding the normal levels of these indicators in each group of pregnant women, but the significant differences to the detriment of the group of women who consumed hot food from plastic containers should cause concern.
Danger to human health
As mentioned, about two-thirds of the participants in the Saudi study used plastic plates to eat hot food, or purchased hot food that came in plastic containers. When there is a meeting between hot food and plastic utensils, the chance of various substances leaking from the utensil into the food increases. Some of these materials are known, others - unidentified and unknown. In Saudi Arabia, as in Israel, various types of plastic utensils are used by food factories, institutions, stalls, restaurants and kitchens. These tools contain, among others, types of plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, as well as additives that give the plastic the desired properties, such as bisphenol A and phthalates - substances that at different levels of exposure constitute Risk to human health, when in some cases, there may be a disruption of the hormonal system and the reproductive system, especially in developing fetuses.
Analysis of the results of the study raises reasons for concern: on the one hand, an increase in TSH, HCY and A1C levels in the blood in direct proportion to the increase in the frequency of use of plastic utensils for hot food, and on the other hand, a concomitant decrease in zinc and selenium concentrations. Although the levels of TSH and HCY were within the normal range, the trend of increasing their concentration in the blood could be ominous - since it was found that higher levels of these two could increase theRisk of repeated miscarriages. Even high levels of HCY alone may indicate limited absorption of vitamin B12 and folic acid as well as risk of atherosclerosis (which can lead to heart and stroke events).
It is also important to know that high HCY levels in the blood of pregnant women have been linked in recent years toPreeclampsia and restricted intrauterine growth. Although research on the subject is in its infancy, from the scientific information accumulated so far, it appears that low levels of zinc and selenium have been found in the blood of women with autoimmune thyroid diseases. A possible reinforcement of the danger in connection between exposure to plastic substances in food and disruption of thyroid function in pregnancy can be obtained from the findings that show that bisphenol A and phthalates affect TSH levels in pregnant women.
These data are added toreports About the possibility that extensive exposure to various plastic products that come into contact with food and the substances that may leak from them, affects hormonal systems in the human body, including sex hormones, the pancreas and the thyroid gland, by interfering with the normal hormonal activity of the body. High exposure to plastic compounds may also affect the development of the reproductive system in fetuses and children, the secretion of insulin in the body as well as the normal metabolism.
Increased exposure to plastic
There are no current data regarding the frequency of hot food consumption in plastic containers in Israel. However, it seems that the exposure to plastic in food in Israel is on the rise since the restrictions on restaurants and shared meals began following the global corona crisis. "It is likely that what is happening in Saudi Arabia is also happening among large groups of people in Israel," says Dr. Hagit Ulanovsky, an expert on health and environmental risks. "The apparent increase in exposure to plastic pollutants through food joins our exposure to them from a variety of other sources, including makeup accessories, care, consumer products and toys."
"The standards that are supposed to protect the public do not provide protection from exposure to plastic contaminants in food in Israel," says Ulanovsky, "especially not for the sensitive populations, including pregnant women and children. There is no enforcement of the standard and no real reviews. In the best case, they check that there is an old certificate from some laboratory and assume that everything is fine."
So what can still be done? "You can significantly reduce the consumption of fast food and instead eat at home or prepare food at home and bring it to work in reusable utensils," says Ulanovsky. "In any case, it is recommended to avoid using single-use plastic utensils that have come into contact with hot food or hot drinks. This can be especially essential for women of reproductive age, pregnant women and infants."
There is no doubt that the results of the important Saudi study reflect the possible risks of using single-use plastic as a tool for storing and eating hot food. Admittedly, these are preliminary data, but they show that the possibility that an increase in the consumption of hot food from plastic containers is related to the leakage of pollutants into the human body that may disrupt our reproductive system and metabolism must be taken seriously.
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