A study found that drinking a cup of coffee with a disposable cup once a week could expose 90,000 microplastic particles a year.
Researchers at Sichuan University in China recently published a study in the journal "Hazard of Science" that found thousands of microplastic particles from inside the cup in three types of plastic cups: polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene (PE).
The researchers filled three types of plastic cups with 400 ml of water each, sealed them with foil to prevent microplastics from entering the cup, and shook them for one minute. The same process was carried out with a clean glass beaker in consideration of potential contamination that could occur during the experiment.
As a result, it was found that the number of microplastics particles in the water reached from 723 to 1,489 per cup after 5 minutes as microplastics fell from inside the cup. The largest number of particles were found in the PP cup, which is a very worrisome result considering that PP is used very widely.
In addition, the longer the cup was left, the more particles were released. The hot liquid and the shaking of the cup during movement also resulted in more microplastics entering the drink.
Microplastics refer to plastic pieces with particles of less than 5 mm in size, but most of them are much smaller and can only be seen through a microscope. Most of the microplastic pieces identified in the study were smaller than 50 micrometers (1 millionth of a meter) the diameter of human hair.
"Based on the research results, people use one plastic cup every four to five days, so they can unconsciously consume 37,613 to 89,294 microplastics a year," the researchers said. "Considering the potential harmfulness of microplastics, it is necessary to take microplastics contamination from plastic cups seriously when drinking beverages."
The effect of microplastics on human health is not known exactly. However, the possibility of harming health is constantly raised through various research results.
In 2017, a review by King's College researchers in the UK assumed that eating or inhaling microparticles could accumulate in the body over time and stress the immune system. In addition, a study conducted this year by Dr. Heather Leslie's team at the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands found microplastics in the participants' bloodstream. Studies have also found microplastics in the placenta, newborns, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain.
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon
(Picture from Unsplash)
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