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.

  • Mister Neon
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    861 year ago

    Haha sucks for you carnivores, my hippie ass…

    and tofu

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

  • DominusOfMegadeus
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    271 year ago

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

      • ██████████
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        1 year ago

        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

      • @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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        1 year ago

        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.

          • @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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            1 year ago

            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@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              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.

              • Cosmic Cleric
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                21 year ago

                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.

      • trainsaresexy
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        1 year 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/

      • 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

  • @thorbot@lemmy.world
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    81 year ago

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

    • WashedOver
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      331 year ago

      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.

    • Flying Squid
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      81 year ago

      Unfortunately, they’re filled with microplastics too. And, in Musk’s case, ketamine.

      That’s why I say don’t eat the rich, beat the rich. Repeatedly. With bats. It will last a lot longer and be much more fun anyway.

  • gregorum
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    91 year 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

  • @Coreidan@lemmy.world
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    251 year 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.