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Is there a viable way to actually avoid microplastics?
by harimau777 2y ago
Is there a viable way to actually avoid microplastics?
- lm28469 2y agoYou can reduce the exposure but I doubt you can eliminate it. Live far away from roads, live outside of cities, avoid all plastic containers for water/food, avoid synthetic clothes/bed sheets/towels/&c.
- SecretDreams 2y ago"Live far away from roads" I guess it's microplastics for me
- blagie 2y agoOr HEPA filters in every room. I've felt better ever since covid made these omnipresent where I live.
- indoordin0saur 2y agoCries in New York accent
- jaapz 2y agoSo I guess it depends on your definition of "viable"
- Zealotux 2y agoI've been trying to avoid them and it's though. I use glass water bottles, ideally would prefer something like reverse osmosis but not so practical. Remove as much plastic as possible in your daily life: clothes, food containers, bed sheets, etc. Don't eat food that came to contact with plastics and certainly don't eat up food in plastic containers. Vacuum regularly, use a HEPA filtering system to reduce harmful particles in the air, not much you can do when you're outside, living far from roads could help (a significant amount of microplastics comes from car tires, apparently).
- eudhxhdhsb32 2y ago> ideally would prefer something like reverse osmosis but not so practical Just curious why that is? I was going to buy one for my new house and they seem pretty practical, at least for drinking water at home.
- Zealotux 2y agoI live in a small place that I rent so I don't have so much space for the system, but if you have the space for it I would say it's worth it! I would also love to have RO for my shower but I haven't found a solution for that.
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- dyauspitr 2y agoThe RO filtration membrane is also made of plastic. I haven’t found a way to avoid microplastics even though I have my own well and have an RO system.
- Zealotux 2y agoYou're correct, your RO system should reduce the amount of microplastics significantly though, to a point that makes your water much safer than most common options.
- dyauspitr 2y agoMaybe? You’re literally forcing water under high pressure across a plastic membrane, to me it feels like that would add a tremendous amount of microplastics to the water. I don’t know what the answer is though since I can’t seem to find any real studies around this.
- PaulKeeble 2y agoFFP3 and N95 masks will stop micro and nano plastics but the issue is its polypropylene, so the question becomes how much it sheds verses how much it blocks. Most of the PM2.5/10 tests against these masks shows they are better than outside air but I don't think the exact composition is fully understood. Based on how its sort blown molten fibres I suspect it sheds quite large bits of plastic if it does.
- butchkass 2y agoJoining the Amish ? But they’re finding microplastics in the air at 5000m of altitude, as well as in the blood of fetuses, so even them are probably contaminated. I think the only things one can do at this point is avoiding the worse sources of microplastics, e.g. heating food in plastic containers
- bilekas 2y agoIt's pretty much impossible to completely avoid microplastics. They're literally raining down on us at this stage. But it's parts per millions to consider. I remember seeing a video about how all gortex and basically all waterproof great releases microplastics into the environment and then the rain basically carries it everywhere. If I find it ill post it.
- e40 2y agoThis https://youtu.be/-ht7nOaIkpI?si=avIcOa76alLdbAqo https://youtu.be/-ht7nOaIkpI?si=avIcOa76alLdbAqo ?
- stevenwoo 2y agoAll synthetic clothing material sheds stuff constantly from abrasion and in much larger quantities when washing and drying.
- bilbo0s 2y agoTires as well. People think in terms of food packaging, and they certainly should. But the danger is actually everywhere in our modern life. The cars, the homes, the clothes, the food, the phones, the computers, the blankets, the sheets, the carpet, and so on and so forth.
- bilekas 2y agoIt's a good point. As much of a miracle as rubbers and plastics have been.. There is a downside. A revolutionary innovation/invention would be some kind of passive cleaning system..
- gwbas1c 2y agoI started taking tea out of plastic teabags and dumping it into a tea sock.
- PaulKeeble 2y agoYou can buy loose tea and get metal tea stirrers that contain it which is about the best way to avoid the plastic. Still comes sealed in a plastic bag though, its very hard to avoid plastics at all.
- gwbas1c 2y agoBut the tea that I like only comes in plastic tea bags!
- thatguy0900 2y agoI've read regular blood donations can reduce microplastics at least somewhat, and that's a good thing to do anyway