Experts warn microplastics could be in your salad
Experts, thousands of “harmful” small plastic particle can be hidden in the roots of the vegetables, he said.
Researchers at the University of Plymouth found that the particles in the soil could be absorbed into the edible parts of the crops during the growing process.
Nanoplastics with a million in diameter in diameter were found in radishes. And for the first time, experts found that these plastics could enter the roots and spread because they were very small than the plant.
Dr Nathaniel Clark, a lecturer in physiology, said: “There is a layer called Casparian strip in the roots of plants, which should act as a filter against particles that may be harmful.”
However, he warned that nanoplastic particles could go beyond this barrier and transfer to people when vegetables are consumed.
Dr Clark said, “There is no reason to believe that this is unique to this vegetable, and the probability of nanoplastics to absorb various types of products grown all over the world,” he said.
In the study published in the journal Environmental Research, The researchers trained radishes in a laboratory with roots immersed in a solution containing plastic particles.
Five days later, they examined how much plastic particles penetrated the plant. Initially, approximately 5 percent of the particles in the solution were protected by the root system, and millions of nanoplastic entering crops were kept.
Approximately one quarter of these particles entered the roots of edible meat, while 10 percent had accumulated on the leaves.
“To some extent, these findings should not be a surprise – in our previous studies, we found microplastic pollution everywhere we are looking for.
The researchers at the university have examined germs for more than 20 years and showed the existence of plastic particles from the deepest parts of the global ocean to the slopes of Mount Everest.
It described some of the main microplastic pollution from the rubber wear to the laundry cycle and flaking paint, and the deterioration of larger elements in the surrounding area.
Previous research also showed nanoparticles in molluscs and fish, making them think that these particles could move and accumulate along the food chain.
“This study offers clear evidence that the surrounding particles can accumulate not only in seafood but also in vegetables, Prof said Professor Thompson.
But scientists are worried that plastic pollution polluted the entire food chain of Britain, so it is not only a sea issue, and it has become almost impossible to avoid.
Scientists at Sussex and Exeter universities found microplastics in slimy insects, insects, snails and worms.
The study, which was published in May, was probably the most common type of plastic found in the invertebrates tested.
Researchers suspect that these plastic fibers come from dried human sewage mud, which are used by some farmers as fertilizer and can contain fibers from washing machines.
