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Sampling, Identification and Characterization of Microplastics Release from Polypropylene Baby Feeding Bottle during Daily Use
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Polypropylene baby feeding bottles released thousands to millions of microplastic particles per milliliter under standard preparation and sterilization conditions, with higher temperatures and agitation increasing shedding, confirming that formula preparation using PP bottles is a significant microplastic exposure pathway for infants.
Microplastics (MPs) are becoming a global concern due to the potential risk to human health. Case studies of plastic products (i.e., plastic single-use cups and kettles) indicate that MP release during daily use can be extremely high. Precisely determining the MP release level is a crucial step to identify and quantify the exposure source and assess/control the corresponding risks stemming from this exposure. Though protocols for measuring MP levels in marine or freshwater has been well developed, the conditions experienced by household plastic products can vary widely. Many plastic products are exposed to frequent high temperatures (up to 100 °C) and are cooled back to room temperature during daily use. It is therefore crucial to develop a sampling protocol that mimics the actual daily-use scenario for each particular product. This study focused on widely used polypropylene-based baby feeding bottles to develop a cost-effective protocol for MP release studies of many plastic products. The protocol developed here enables: 1) prevention of the potential contamination during sampling and detection; 2) realistic implementation of daily-use scenarios and accurate collection of the MPs released from baby feeding bottles based on WHO guidelines; and 3) cost-effective chemical determination and physical topography mapping of MPs released from baby feeding bottles. Based on this protocol, the recovery percentage using standard polystyrene MP (diameter of 2 µm) was 92.4-101.2% while the detected size was around 102.2% of the designed size. The protocol detailed here provides a reliable and cost-effective method for MP sample preparation and detection, which can substantially benefit future studies of MP release from plastic products.
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Sampling, Identification and Characterization of Microplastics Release from Polypropylene Baby Feeding Bottle during Daily Use
AI summary Read the abstract
Polypropylene baby feeding bottles released thousands to millions of microplastic particles per milliliter of liquid under standard sterilization and preparation conditions, with higher temperatures and mechanical agitation increasing particle shedding, suggesting that infant formula preparation practices may be a significant but overlooked microplastic exposure route for babies.
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Researchers found that polypropylene baby bottles can release millions of microplastic particles per liter when exposed to the high temperatures used during sterilization and formula preparation. The study estimated that bottle-fed infants could be exposed to significant levels of microplastics during their first year of life, with hotter water temperatures leading to greater particle release.
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Researchers tested microplastic release from eleven baby feeding bottles of varying materials under multiple realistic use conditions including sterilization, shaking at different temperatures, long-term mechanical stress, and repeated cap handling, using Nile Red staining and fluorescence microscopy supplemented by µRaman spectroscopy. Results showed that bottle brand was a stronger predictor of MP release than bottle material, with temperature and mechanical stress also influencing particle release.
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