Baby bottle-fed babies consume millions of microplastics daily.

Baby bottle-fed babies can consume more than one million microplastics daily. New research reveals that foods contain high amounts of plastic.

There is increasing evidence that humans consume large amounts of the small particles that form when large pieces of plastic break, but little is known about their health effects.

Irish researchers have determined the microplastic release rate of 10 different baby bottles used to prepare infant formula or accessories made of polypropylene, the most commonly used plastic for food containers. I looked it up. They followed the official World Health Organization guidelines for sterilization and formula preparation conditions.

During the 21-day test period, the team discovered that bottles emit 1.3 million to 16.2 million plastic particles per liter when exposed to high temperatures. The study showed that heat was generated during the preparation of formula, causing microplastic pieces to be released into seven bottles. It was also observed that the warmer the liquid inside, the more microplastic was released. This data was then used to model potential global infant exposure to microplastics from bottles based on the national average rate of breastfeeding.

They estimated that an average baby bottle-fed baby could ingest 1.6 million plastic particles daily during the first 12 months of life.

The author of the study Published in Nature Food JournalSterilization and exposure to high water temperatures have the greatest effect on the release of microplastics, from an average of 600,000 particles per liter at 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) to 55 million particles per liter at 95 degrees Celsius. I said it would be.

“Infant exposure to microplastics has been shown to be higher than previously recognized due to the widespread use of polypropylene-based products used in the preparation of formulas, and exposure to these levels of microplastics is infant health. It emphasizes the urgent need to assess whether it poses a risk to the baby, “according to a study.

“The number of microplastic particles detected seems to be very high,” said Philip Schwabble, a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna, who wrote the editorial that accompanies the study. “But the impact of such microplastic levels on infant and general human health is still unknown.”

However, the authors told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the purpose of the study was to “don’t worry about parents” about the potential health risks of bottled microplastics.

A team at Trinity College Dublin said, “I’ve been as strong as possible about not knowing the potential health risks of babies taking microplastics.”

“This is an area of ​​research that we are currently actively pursuing.”

“Urgent research needs”

The authors state that babies are most likely to consume plastic in developed countries. 2.3 million per day in North America and 2.6 million in Europe. This was due to the relatively low rate of breastfeeding in rich countries.

In an annual world survey of 13,348 mothers by Lansinoh, a provider of breastfeeding and baby products, 68% of Turkish mothers breastfed their babies for at least 6 months and 32% continued until 12 months in 2015. However, it turned out that 31% managed to continue. Up to 24 months. Overall, Turkish mothers breastfed their babies the longest compared to countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Brazil.

The Turkish Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that mothers breastfeed their babies only for the first 6 months. However, statistics show that only 26% of Turkish mothers chose breastfeeding only for the first 6 months, while other mothers introduced infant formula and other foods too early. According to a Lansinoh study, the average rate of breast-fed mothers in the first 6 months was 27%.

No country in the world fully meets the recommended criteria for breastfeeding, according to a 2017 report by the Global Breastfeeding Collective, a new initiative launched by UNICEF and WHO to increase breastfeeding rates around the world.

Of the 194 countries, only 40% of babies under 6 months are breast-fed (not consuming other foods), and 23 are breast-fed more than 60% of babies. It is reported to be in only one country. Turkey, and many developed countries, were not among the listed countries. Kenya, Lesotho, Sri Lanka and Uganda are included in the 23 countries of the Global Breastfeeding Scorecard.

The authors of the microplastics study can easily lower the level by performing a few additional steps, such as rinsing the bottle with cold sterile water and preparing powdered milk in a non-plastic container before filling the bottle. Said.

Faye Kouseiro, a senior researcher in biogeochemistry at the University of Portsmouth, said the study on Monday emphasized “the urgency of research on the effects of microplastics on human health.” She said it was important not to be an “alarmist” when it comes to feeding bottles. This is what many parents like for a variety of reasons.

“The risks of not sterilizing bottles and not using hot water are well understood and very realistic. The risks of these known diseases are the risks of microplastic manufacturing until the health risks are understood. You have to outweigh the risks, “said Xero, who was not involved in the study.