3 ms·

Almost all plastic release chemicals having estrogenic activity [1] so not be default harmful, but probably harmful. [1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic

Almost all plastic release chemicals having estrogenic activity [1] so not be default harmful, but probably harmful. [1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/)

semi-extrinsic 8y ago
OTOH, all those chemicals are problematic precisely because they leach out into water. So you might expect marine microplastics to contain little-to-none EA chemicals, as they've been "cleaned" by the ocean for a long time.
- drb91 8y ago
  Got a citation? Even better, you could put your plastic where your mouth is and try a diet of washed microplastics every meal to see how it affects you. It’s not immoral if you do it to yourself!
- RIMR 8y ago
  I know that plastics leach chemicals into water, but I have never heard of "water cleaned" plastics no longer leaching chemicals. It's also worth noting that consuming microplastics doesn't result in them being bathed in water, but rather our acidic digestive tract designed specifically for leaching chemicals out of things.
  - subcosmos 8y ago
    yup - and some of these chemicals you certainly don't want leeching ...
  - TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
    I think only the stomach is acidic, and that bicarbonate ions produced by the pancreas and liver neutralise that acidity in the small intestine. Your general point stands though: the particular water based solution in question serves a particularly important purpose!
  - glenneroo 8y ago
    Worse yet, the plastics break down in water and plankton eat them up... and they're at the bottom of the food chain, not to mention phytoplankton produce between 50-85% of oxygen [0] and eat lots of CO2. Disclosure: Involved in a project to raise awareness about plastic and noise pollution in the water [1]. [0]: https://thinkprogress.org/zooplankton-are-eating-plastic-and-thats-bad-news-for-ocean-life-dbe31be8ae2b/ https://thinkprogress.org/zooplankton-are-eating-plastic-and... [1]: https://www.NoiseAquarium.com https://www.NoiseAquarium.com

semi-extrinsic 8y ago

OTOH, all those chemicals are problematic precisely because they leach out into water. So you might expect marine microplastics to contain little-to-none EA chemicals, as they've been "cleaned" by the ocean for a long time.

drb91 8y ago
Got a citation? Even better, you could put your plastic where your mouth is and try a diet of washed microplastics every meal to see how it affects you. It’s not immoral if you do it to yourself!
RIMR 8y ago
I know that plastics leach chemicals into water, but I have never heard of "water cleaned" plastics no longer leaching chemicals. It's also worth noting that consuming microplastics doesn't result in them being bathed in water, but rather our acidic digestive tract designed specifically for leaching chemicals out of things.
- subcosmos 8y ago
  yup - and some of these chemicals you certainly don't want leeching ...
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
  I think only the stomach is acidic, and that bicarbonate ions produced by the pancreas and liver neutralise that acidity in the small intestine. Your general point stands though: the particular water based solution in question serves a particularly important purpose!
- glenneroo 8y ago
  Worse yet, the plastics break down in water and plankton eat them up... and they're at the bottom of the food chain, not to mention phytoplankton produce between 50-85% of oxygen [0] and eat lots of CO2. Disclosure: Involved in a project to raise awareness about plastic and noise pollution in the water [1]. [0]: https://thinkprogress.org/zooplankton-are-eating-plastic-and-thats-bad-news-for-ocean-life-dbe31be8ae2b/ https://thinkprogress.org/zooplankton-are-eating-plastic-and... [1]: https://www.NoiseAquarium.com https://www.NoiseAquarium.com