I sometimes have a Babybel cheese as a snack and I used to feel that the little cheese did not want to be eaten. It seemed to defy attempts to open the plastic in which it had sought refuge. But no more! The latest batch I got was wrapped in paper not plastic and yielded its contents without the slightest struggle. I assume the novel packaging is in deference to the exploding publicity about our overuse of plastics and its consequences on the environment and possibly on our health.
If ever a material is in tune with the expression, βa blessing and a curse,β it is plastic. I think it is not necessary to belabour the point that without plastics our cars, airplanes, computers, cell phones, laboratories and hospitals could not function. Our water distribution and food production systems would grind to a halt, our apparel would be restricted to wool, cotton or leather and our kids would be playing with wooden or metal toys. Obviously, there are blessings galore. Now for the curse. The world is being suffocated by plastic waste. Our oceans, rivers, lakes and beaches are cluttered with an array of plastics. Landfills are brimming with discarded plastics, and many parts of the world are speckled with growing mounds of garbage.
Visually, plastics appear to be inert, which is one of the properties that makes them so useful, However, on the microscopic scale, they are anything but. The heat of washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and microwave ovens, exposure to ultraviolet light, buffeting by waves, and and even just simple handling, results in the plastic shedding tiny particles that range in size from a few millimeters (microplastics) to smaller than a millionth of a meter (nanoparticles). The latter are invisible to the naked eye and are roughly the size of bacteria, a hundred times smaller than a grain of sand. These nanoparticles are easily carried by the air and water and have been found everywhere from deserts to the Himalayas to the Arctic. What is really worrisome is that they are also found inside of us. Every organ and tissue that has ever been examined harbours micro and nanoplastics. They are in our hearts, our arteries and even in our brain.
Finding micro and nanoplastics in our body does not necessarily mean that they are doing harm. However, there are indications that they are not just innocent bystanders. For example, in one study in 2024, patients who had deposits removed from their carotid arteries had a greater risk of heart attack and stroke in the following three years if they had a higher level of microplastics in the excised deposits. Another study of brains removed upon autopsy revealed higher levels of micro and nanoplastics in the brains of people who had suffered from dementia. When mice are given drinking water contaminated with microplastics, they soon begin to show signs of cognitive decline. Furthermore, microplastics show up in the brains of the mice, surprisingly having crossed the blood brain barrier. Another problem is that chemicals such as pesticide residues can piggy-back on plastic particles and be released into the bloodstream.
An obvious question arises. What can we as individuals can do to cut down on exposure to micro and nanoplastics? For a start, we can cut down on drinking any beverage from a plastic bottle, including water. Consider that around one million water bottles are purchased each minute around the world! If fewer such bottles are produced, fewer microplastics will be released into the environment. Keeping plastics out of dishwashers and microwave ovens is a good idea, as is reducing our reliance on synthetic fibers in clothing, replacing plastic cutting boards with metal and shunning disposable plastic plates, cutlery and bags. Even chewing gum will release plastic particles.
It is doubtful that any individual who applies these measures will personally benefit health wise because our major exposure comes from micro and nanoparticles in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. However, if many individuals make such efforts, then less plastic items will be produced, fewer will be dumped as garbage and fewer will end up in water systems.
The massive publicity given to micro and nanoplastics and their possible effects on health has prompted entrepreneurs to introduce a variety of procedures and products that claim to remove these adulterants from the body. Apheresis is a procedure whereby blood is withdrawn from a patient, the red blood cells are separated from the plasma, and the plasma is passed through a filter before being reinjected into the patient. Such apheresis is approved for treating sickle cell disease and high cholesterol, but some companies now claim it can remove microplastics. The procedure is expensive, costing thousands of dollars, and there is no evidence that it actually removes microplastics and improves health. There are also purveyors of probiotics that are claimed to eliminate microplastics from the gut, but evidence is lacking. The same can be said for an injectable drug that contains enzymes that supposedly break down microplastics.
I think my Babybel cheese being wrapped in paper instead of cellophane is a step in the right direction. But what about the red wax coating it has? The purpose is to prevent the cheese from drying out, block the entry of microbes, and prevent the entry of oxygen that can cause the fat to go rancid. The wax is produced from petroleum and of course is not consumed. But once discarded, the small amount of polyethylene it contains for flexibility can break down into microplastics that can end up in the environment. The producer does not reveal what red dye is used but it too ends up in the environment. I doubt that it is nefarious, but I think my Babybel could get along without it. I could get along without Babybel for a snack too. I could go for nuts. Of course, they come in a plastic bag. Life is complicated.
