The timebomb of food safety and human health
Many people have realised in recent years that plastics pose a threat to everyone in our society. Our ecosystem has been contaminated by them, particularly our rivers, seas, and oceans. While certain sections of the world have made steps to cut back on the usage of plastics, other regions have not been able to implement any changes.
The most concerning thing about this, in my opinion, is that even if plastic manufacture were to end tomorrow, the effects of more than 60 years of extensive production and use would still be felt for many hundreds of years to come.
Why have I adopted such a negative outlook? It comes from reading about it, speaking with colleagues who are conducting research in the field, and participating in studies on the breakdown products of plastics, the so-called micro and nanoplastics (MNPs), and the “forever chemicals” that are employed to join the various polymer layers. These days, these substances and particles are present in almost every aspect of our everyday life. According to one estimate, there are more than 24 trillion MNP fragments in the world’s oceans alone. However, the extent of the pollution in our marine environment is not limited to that. An increasing amount of data indicates their significant presence in sewage, contributing to the massive MNP load found in our soils
Whole ecosystems are severely contaminated in the world we live in today. We are all exposed to MNPs through food webs in many of the common foods and drinks that we consume. It has been demonstrated that fish and crop species throughout the world collect these byproducts of plastic breakdown. The detrimental impacts of micronuclein polymers (MNPs) on fish health are widely recognised; these include neurotoxicity, growth retardation, behavioural problems, and endocrine disruption.
Less is known about the detrimental consequences on human health, though. This is due to the fact that MNPs are a very diverse collection of particles with regard to the plastics they are composed of, their size, form, and exposure to various combinations of these as well as permanent chemicals. The application of strong analytical chemistry techniques to measure and quantify the amounts of MNPs in our food and water supplies is a rapidly developing field. The information gathered from these measurements can contribute to the body of knowledge regarding human exposure and its effects on health.
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Regulations to limit and regulate NMPs in our food and water supplies are becoming more and more demanded. I have experience supplying scientific proof for food safety laws, so I can’t overstate the difficulties that may arise. The intricacy of the issue and what may be possible in terms of establishing legal limitations for MNPs in food and drink make me believe that this will be the largest challenge that regulators, water companies, and food corporations have ever faced in terms of constructing a regulatory framework.
The environment, human health, food safety, and ultimately food security are all directly related to this topic.
Perhaps some basic considerations are in order regarding how the human species has managed to do such extensive harm to our planet’s climate, environment, and health in such a short amount of time.
We must have a deeper comprehension of the underlying causes of each of these issues and devise global solutions. The human species will surely become the next generation of dinosaurs if we don’t. The distinction is that, although humans have only been on the planet for the last two million years, dinosaurs were able to roam around for 165 million years. Something to consider?