Cleaning plastic containers in a dishwasher is a source of microplastic pollution, study finds (phys.org)
from cm0002@lemmy.world to science@mander.xyz on 22 May 00:47
https://lemmy.world/post/30039811

#science

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protist@mander.xyz on 22 May 02:32 next collapse

Basically any situation where plastic is warmed is a source of microplastic contamination

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works on 22 May 02:43 next collapse

And yet somehow it lasts forever in a landfill.

We can’t win.

18107@aussie.zone on 22 May 03:05 collapse

Just wash your dishes in a landfill.

Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg on 25 May 15:28 collapse

So that’s why Oscar is always hiding in the trash can grumbling!

Wahots@pawb.social on 22 May 03:42 next collapse

Probably mechanical abrasion too. Like car tires. Or your carpets/rug. Or your toothbrush. Or your nylon/sport/athlesure wear. Or soft, non-natural blankets, haha. I bet your furniture, too…

desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 22 May 08:17 collapse

wool carpets for the win.

Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee on 22 May 06:55 next collapse

Basically any situation where plastic is ,warmed is a source of microplastic contamination

Ledericas@lemm.ee on 22 May 08:24 collapse

water with cleaning chemicals probably leaches some out too.

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works on 22 May 02:41 next collapse

Betcha scrubbing them in the sink does too. It’s just harder to set up a controlled study.

seathru@lemmy.sdf.org on 22 May 03:00 next collapse

Yeah I wish they would have done that. Would be interesting to see. Hand washed plastic containers are subjected to much more mechanical scrubbing action, but much less heat.

ProvableGecko@lemmy.world on 22 May 06:26 next collapse

My dish sponge is plastic.¯_(ツ)_/¯

FooBarrington@lemmy.world on 22 May 10:41 collapse

Dishwashers usually wash hotter than you do in the sink & reuse the water, so I’d imagine they also produce more microplastic in the process.

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works on 22 May 13:33 collapse

Hotter yes, but no plastic-on-plastic scrubbing. And not reusing the water wouldn’t change the amount of plastic, it would just be diluted in a larger amount of water. My guess would be, larger particles. But I can see why that would have to be its own, more complicated study. Because so many more variables.

FooBarrington@lemmy.world on 22 May 13:36 collapse

Do you know that water with microplastics doesn’t cause even more microplastics? Seems reasonable to me - the existing microplastic should be ground even finer, and also cause more microplastic to be ground off.

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works on 22 May 15:27 collapse

Interesting thought, we’ll have to include it in our study. I posit that the microparticles from hand washing will be larger anyway, because method, and will include plastic from the scrubber as well as the containers.

FooBarrington@lemmy.world on 22 May 15:38 collapse

There’s a good chance! Really depends on the impact of temperature, though since we’re still waaaaay below the melting point of plastic, intuitively I’d agree with you.

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works on 22 May 15:55 collapse

So where do we get our funding? I’m thinking about a billion, if we call it The Big Beautiful Golden Study, sponsored by plastic and dishwasher manufacturers.

FooBarrington@lemmy.world on 22 May 16:06 collapse

No no no, you have to think about it differently. Neither of those industries will want to sponsor something like this. Instead we have to go with their natural enemies - and was is the opposite of plastic (i.e. what is non-plastic)? Obviously concrete!

Wahots@pawb.social on 22 May 03:39 next collapse

And people are grossed out when they learn that people can have enough micro/nanoplastic in their brain to make a disposable plastic spoon (2g). :)

magiccupcake@lemmy.world on 22 May 04:44 next collapse

It’s up to a credit card now (9g)

Source

EySkibidiBabBab@feddit.dk on 22 May 07:58 next collapse

When i die i want my brain plastic to be used for a warhammer figurine!

Dwayne_Elizondo_Mountain_Dew_Camacho@sh.itjust.works on 22 May 20:05 collapse

The methodology used to get that result is supposedly very questionable.

I heard it here:

Science Vs: Is There Really a Plastic Spoon in Our Brains?

Not to minimize the impact of microplastics, but the credit card amount is probably way off.

magiccupcake@lemmy.world on 23 May 00:49 collapse

No offenses, but I’m gonna put a lot more weight behind a peer reviewed Nature paper, rather than some random podcaster.

The explained their methodology pretty well. They extrapolate the microplastics amount from a small bit of cortical tissue, and compared it to previous results. Yeah there might not be as much in other parts of the brain, but we don’t have a reason to think it would be drastically different.

match@pawb.social on 22 May 17:08 collapse

the microsplastic keep my brain smooth and flexible :3

Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee on 22 May 19:04 next collapse

Neuroplasticity

Wahots@pawb.social on 24 May 21:01 collapse

This made me chuckle

photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 22 May 08:50 next collapse

The overall plastic mass equated to about 6 milligrams per person per year, or about a quarter of the weight of a grain of rice

Bigfishbest@lemmy.world on 22 May 15:44 collapse

Multiply by nr of persons and years…

ilega_dh@feddit.nl on 22 May 16:28 collapse

Yes, that is what “per person per year” means

11111one11111@lemmy.world on 22 May 10:42 next collapse

Contaminating what? My septic tank that gets emptied every 10 years?

x00z@lemmy.world on 22 May 12:31 next collapse

It goes with the water that leaves your septic tank.

A septic tank is only meant to separate the water from oils and sludge.

11111one11111@lemmy.world on 22 May 14:24 collapse

Really? So all my piss goes right thru and into my yard? If it filters out and stores solids wouldn’t it also catch the microplastics too?

x00z@lemmy.world on 22 May 17:05 collapse

Depends on where you live. Mine goes trough the septic tank towards the sewer. A lot of houses also just go directly to the sewers.

And no, many microplastics are too lightweight to settle with the solids.

swampdownloader@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 22 May 12:51 collapse

Where do you think the truck that empties your tank goes?

11111one11111@lemmy.world on 22 May 14:21 collapse

No clue. Guess thats what im asking.

swampdownloader@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 22 May 15:25 collapse

They haul it and dispose of it in the sewer.

timeghost@lemmy.world on 22 May 16:26 next collapse

Plastic is poison.

Etterra@discuss.online on 22 May 16:54 collapse

Well I don’t want my Vitamin P to be covered in bacteria.