From washing food to using fabric softener, microplastic expert Professor Rosa Busquets shares her top tips for avoiding them
‘We may not see them, but inevitably we take them in,’ says Professor Rosa Busquets from the School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry at Kingston University Microplastics are everywhere. We know this; recent research from the US found them in every human placenta they tested. These tiny fragments of plastic – defined as anything smaller than 5mm, but which can be as tiny as ten-millionth of a metre – have also been found inside human brains and livers, as well as in the air and our food.
“There is research being done to make materials that don’t shed microfibres,” says Professor Busquet. But for now, she suggests using a fabric softener, which can reduce microfibre emissions during washing by 35 per cent. Studies also show that using fabric conditioners in the tumble dryer reduce the release by up to 36 per cent, probably as they reduce the friction which leads to shedding.
Professor Busquets echoes that warning. Daily activities such opening a bottle of water or other food packaging is exposing us to plastic particles, and advises opting away when possible from plastic and food items where plastic rubs upon opening.and onions to come netted together. “Nature is very smart. Onions, tomatoes, bananas and potatoes don’t need to be bagged – they have skins that can be peeled or washed.
Professor Busquets swears by getting her hands dirty when packaging really isn’t needed. “Sometimes we even use a plastic-lined bag to hold a pastry that we eat in 10 seconds then bin the bag. This is not sustainable at all,” she says., it is quite difficult. So I always wash them with water hoping that the microplastic particles that I cannot see rinse away. I imagine a force that is wiping the tiny fragments of microplastics off,” says Professor Busquets.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Professor Green and Phats & Small to play in new one-day festivalAs well as the performers, festival-goers will be treated to a silent disco, stilt walkers, fire breathers, a laser show, pyrotechnics and a 'huge festival market'
Read more »
UCL professor warns academic freedom at risk as module removed after student complaintsUCL professor Michelle Shipworth says large groups of foreign students can contain significant minorities seeking to curtail academic freedoms in the interest of protecting their home governments' reputations.
Read more »
Michelle Donelan pays damages to academic over Hamas claimScience Secretary Michelle Donelan had claimed a university professor sympathised with Hamas.
Read more »
I smashed the bones in my face in horror crash but that wasn’t the worst of itThe infectious threat of antibiotic resistance by Professor Dame Sally Davies
Read more »
Measuring brain activity and skin conductance to predict a person's emotionsMachines still can't think, but now they can validate your feelings, based on new research from New Jersey Institute of Technology Assistant Professor Jorge Fresneda.
Read more »
Moment medical students find out school will be tuition-freeStudents broke into cheers and tears as a former professor at a New York college announced a $1bn donation.
Read more »