one green planet
one green planet

A new study published in the journal Nature Food found that baby bottles made from plastic can release microplastics. When baby formula is prepared in polypropylene bottles, scientists found that the polypropylene bottles released microplastics as high as 16,200,000 particles per liter.

Source: AMBER Centre/Youtube

What’s unclear is if the microplastics can affect an infant’s health. Scientists do know that the level of microplastics’ exposure is higher than previously thought. The scientists also found that higher temperatures in the formula increased the release of plastic.

Dr. Jing Jing Wang, study co-author and a scientist at the AMBER Research Centre and Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, told TODAY, “I don’t think anyone expected the very high levels that we found. Our aim is not to worry parents and we have communicated as strongly as we can that we do not know the potential health risks of infant ingestion of microplastics… this is a new and rapidly evolving area of research and the data on the potential impact on human health is not well developed.”

Wang did say that we should “take steps” to fix microplastic release. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than a sesame seed, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They’ve been found in marine and ocean life, as well as in humans.

Read more about microplastics in One Green Planet, check out these articles:

Sign this petition to Ban Single-Use Plastic; Microplastics Have Now Been Found in Antarctica!

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There are products you may be using or habits you may have that contribute to plastic pollution. Learn more about how the use of Teabags, Cotton Swabs, Laundry, Contact Lenses, Glitter and Sheet Masks pollute our oceans so you can make more informed decisions going forward. There are also numerous simple actions and switches that can help cut plastic out of our lives including, making your own cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, household cleaners, using mason jars, reusable bags/bottles/straws, and avoiding microbeads!

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