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Opening plastic packaging produces microplastics
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This news piece summarizes a study finding that simply opening plastic food packaging releases microplastic particles. Tearing and cutting actions on common packaging materials generate tiny plastic fragments, adding household packaging handling to the growing list of microplastic sources.
Tiny pieces of plastic known as microplastics are ubiquitous. These microplastics are additives in products such as cosmetics, or they can be formed from the degradation of larger pieces of plastic in the environment. A new study finds that the act of opening plastic packaging may be yet another source (Sci. Rep. 2020, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61146-4). Cheng Fang of the University of Newcastle in Australia and coworkers tested whether microplastics are formed as a result of opening plastic packaging. The researchers used their hands, scissors, and knives to tear or cut plastic shopping bags, packaging film, plastic bottles, gloves, and packaging foam. They captured microplastic particles released during the process on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), which they used to measure the change in mass caused by those particles’ formation. They used Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to determine the particles’ chemical composition. All the plastic packages and all three
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Microplastics generated when opening plastic packaging
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Researchers discovered that everyday actions like cutting, tearing, and twisting open plastic packaging generate measurable amounts of microplastics, ranging from about 0.46 to 250 particles per centimeter of cut. The amount released depended on factors like the stiffness, thickness, and type of plastic material. The finding reveals a previously unrecognized source of microplastic exposure that occurs routinely in daily life.
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This review examines a commonly overlooked source of human microplastic exposure: the mechanical wear and fragmentation of everyday plastic products during normal use. Researchers found that activities like opening containers, using cutting boards, and handling plastic items release significant quantities of micro- and nanoplastics directly into our immediate environment. The study highlights that this daily fragmentation pathway may contribute more to personal microplastic exposure than previously appreciated.
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This review examines how food packaging materials release microplastics into food products during production, storage, and transportation. Plastic containers, films, and wraps can shed tiny particles through mechanical wear, heat exposure, and chemical interactions with food. The findings highlight that packaging is a significant and often overlooked source of microplastic contamination in the food we eat.
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