Drinking 3 cups of hot water from a disposable paper cup may damage your immunity?

In daily life

Plastics are everywhere

From takeaway boxes to milk tea cups

No one can completely eliminate disposable products

Recent studies have shown that:

These disposable products

Microplastics are being released into our bodies

Drink 3 cups of hot water from a disposable paper cup

May impair immunity

In this "fast food" era, take-out, paper coffee cups, plastic lunch boxes, plastic tableware... no one can completely "escape" the use of disposable products, and most of these items are related to "eating".

In recent years, more and more studies have shown that microplastics released by plastic products have entered the human blood, causing many people to pay attention to the frequency of use of plastic products.

A recent study completed by a research team from the School of Life Sciences of Zhejiang University was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, an internationally renowned journal in the field of environment. It was found that disposable paper cups from five well-known brands release a large amount of microplastics after heating water.

The method used in the experiment is exactly the same as in our daily life, that is, pouring hot water into a disposable paper cup. The research team speculated through the experimental data that drinking 3.3 cups of hot water from a disposable paper cup every day may significantly change the cecal microbiome, metabolic function, immune health and reproductive health.

Disposable paper cups are made of paper, so why do they also release microplastics? Jiang Chao, a researcher at the Institute of Life Sciences of Zhejiang University, said that when the hydrophobic film on the inner layer of disposable paper cups encounters hot water, a large amount of microplastics will be released . As people drink, the microplastics will accumulate in the body.

Microplastics

Microplastics are plastic fragments and particles with a diameter of 0.1 micrometers to 5 millimeters , which come from the degradation, wear and improper handling of plastic products. The harm of microplastics has long attracted widespread attention. According to the research conclusions of the World Wildlife Fund in 2019, people consume an average of about 5 grams of plastic per week, which is equivalent to a bank card .

Paper is neither resistant to grease nor water, so paper used as food packaging material needs to be surface coated to protect the paper from being soaked by water or coffee in the cup.

The inner layer of paper cups has a hydrophobic film, which may be a polyethylene plastic coating layer or a bioplastic film (made from renewable resources such as corn, cassava or sugarcane). When it is in contact with hot water for a long time, it may partially fall off and release microplastics.

Last year, researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden showed that the plastic film currently used, made of polylactic acid (i.e. bioplastic film), is still toxic. Therefore, compared with other materials, paper packaging also has potential health hazards , and it is becoming more and more common, and people can be exposed to plastics and related chemicals through contact with food.

In addition, some netizens said, is it okay if you don't fill it with hot water? Not "heating" may be relatively safer , but even cold water and warm water will have a certain amount of precipitation, but the amount of precipitation is not as large as hot water. How much harm do microplastics cause to the human body? More research is needed to prove it. A research team from Peking University Third Hospital published a study in the international journal "Environmental Science and Technology" stating that microplastics have invaded the human uterus and posed a threat to reproductive health. However, the harm of microplastics is currently mostly limited to mouse experiments, and the harm to the human body needs to be further studied in combination with clinical practice.

In fact, microplastics are everywhere in our lives. Their sizes are submicron or even smaller. Moreover, their movement is greatly affected by temperature. The higher the temperature, the more intense the thermal movement . We may ingest some of them through daily breathing and drinking water.

In daily life, it is impossible for people to completely reject plastic products, so in order to minimize the harm of microplastics, it is recommended that you take the following measures:

(1)

Use less disposable plastic containers, especially for hot food, heating, etc. It is recommended to use glass or non-plastic tableware as much as possible.

(2)

Be sure to use high-quality plastic products from regular manufacturers. Bottled water and barreled water made of food-grade, medical-grade and other polymer materials generally do not form plastic microparticles.

(3)

Women who are preparing for pregnancy or are already pregnant need to be extra careful, as they are likely to be a high-risk group for potential risks from microplastics.

(4)

Supervisory and management departments should also strengthen inspections on whether the plastic resins used by bottle and barrel manufacturers meet quality control requirements.

The specific impact of microplastics at present

The dose-effect relationship needs further exploration

There is no need to panic too much

It is also important to build this awareness in advance

From today on, you can bring your own water bottle

Radically reduce

Use of single-use plastics

It will not only reduce the intake of microplastics

It is a protection for yourself

It is also the protection of the earth

This is the end of this issue

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Source: Guangdong Science Popularization, Yunnan Disease Control

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