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How avoid microplasics?

I am busy and don’t have time to research all of the ways corporations have poisoned us.

What are some good rules on how to avoid microplastics?

Eat local foods? Avoid processed foods? Walk/bike? Use dry soaps? Don’t use any take away containers? Avoid walking near busy roads? Use cotton/wool for all clothing?

SsxChaos ,
@SsxChaos@lemmy.ml avatar

Short answer: very simple

Avoid plastic

You buy bottled water?

That has Microplastics.

You buy or store food in plastic?

Microplastics…

Use plastic straws?

Welp, Microplastics

Etc…

Basically it’s difficult to avoid it since we use plastic almost everywhere daily, but not impossible.

Azzu ,

Microplastics have also been found in our drinking water. So maybe stop drinking water altogether.

nondescripthandle ,

I can confirm that if you stop drinking water, in 72 hours or so you won’t have to worry about microplastics.

kitnaht ,

I’ve heard that anyone who’s drank water has died anyways.

metaStatic ,

Ban Hydrogen Dioxide

LaGG_3 ,
@LaGG_3@hexbear.net avatar

Basically it’s difficult to avoid it since we use plastic almost everywhere daily, but not impossible.

Car tires and brake pads produce micro plastics in our water system. It’s probably impossible on an individual basis to completely avoid them.

Blue_Morpho ,

All the plastic objects you listed are the long term cause of micro plastics. You don’t get micro plastics from the plastic wrap on food or plastic straws. Micro plastics come from the straws thrown away that slowly break down into micro plastics over decades.

So avoid plastic to help the environment, but that won’t change your micro plastics injested right now. It’s in the food itself.

Carrolade ,

This.

Avoiding plastic in your day to day might prevent leeching, which is nice, but you’ll still encounter it in the natural environment.

The problem is the plastics never really chemically break down. They do undergo mechanical weathering though, so it all breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces over time. Eventually these particles are microscopic, and make their way into everywhere and everything it seems, from soil to rainwater to your breakfast cereal and your testicles.

You can probably filter it out of your water, I imagine reverse osmosis is likely effective since plastic molecules are somewhat chonky. A HEPA filter should get at least the larger particles out of the air. I don’t know how effective it’d be with smaller particles, sometimes called nanoplastics. Avoiding synthetic fabrics probably would help somewhat, but I haven’t read anything about this.

You can’t get it out of your food though, we don’t know enough yet about reliable ways we could keep plants from taking it up through their root systems. From plants it gets into the food chain, and much like mercury with fish, it’ll likely end up concentrating in animals, like us. You could potentially grow your own food via aquaponics using filtered water and maybe keep it plastic-free, but this is a real reach here. And you’re basically vegan now and have to literally grow all your own food.

Note, I’m largely speculating regarding methods.

Some reading material, this first one is about plant uptake:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8618759/

Water filtration:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10054062/

Blue_Morpho ,

It’s reddit all over again. The top voted post is wrong. You post correct info with sources and you are buried at the bottom.

aviation_hydrated OP ,

Thanks for the input

jewbacca117 ,

Hunt your own food and wear the skins, but even animals have traces of microplastics now so might as well grow naked. traces of microplastics in soil, so that will transfer to any home grown food, so eating is out. you could try distilling your own water but that’s the only sustenance you will have. After a few weeks of not eating you should be dead and that is the only true way to be free of microplastics.

Rolando ,

you should be dead and that is the only true way to be free of microplastics.

The microplastics will seep into your corpse.

tiredofsametab ,

But is your corpse "you" or rather just the meat-mech "you" piloted around?

Grimy ,

Avoid anything that comes in plastic packaging and distill your own water. You will still need to drink normal water but I can’t imagine any municipality is currently equipped to deal with microplastic so reducing your intake is probably a good idea.

Short of moving somewhere very rural and growing all your own food, it is close to impossible.

Imprudent3449 ,

As a resident in a pretty rural area you might want to avoid moving to rural areas due to increased cancer rates due to pesticide use and poor water conditions. But don’t you worry about our poor corporations that are wrecking shit, our lovely governer passed legislation that prevents people from suing them. though her and the corporations assure us there is nothing to worry about. They pinky sweared and everything.

aviation_hydrated OP ,

Nice! I’m glad it all worked out in the end!

Perhapsjustsniffit ,

Clothing and textiles from natural fibres. No rubber tires as they are major shredders of micro plastics.

venusaur ,
@venusaur@lemmy.world avatar

Where are you supposed to get tires not made of rubber?

sunzu2 ,

Tires are made of vulcanized "rubber" which is actually an oil product.

Rubber tires would be fine as rubber is a natural material but they would expensive and not as durable

kitnaht ,

They do still contain a good portion of rubber; the natural type farmed from trees.

aviation_hydrated OP ,

Is that why they can still call themselves “rubber”?

Habahnow ,

Drive less would best the recommendation. Though I feel this doesn’t directly help yourself so much as everyone.

metaStatic ,

well then fuck that then, I only care about myself ...

evasive_chimpanzee ,

Trains use steel wheels (unless the government is in the pocket of Big Rubber, like the Michelin trains in Paris)

blackbrook ,

That would work great on cars too, all we need is all the roads to be as smooth and even as steel rails.

aviation_hydrated OP ,

How to find tires made out of actual rubber?

Contramuffin ,

You can’t outright, but you can at least try to minimize your exposure. Easiest way is to avoid buying products that use plastic packaging, especially if the product that you’re planning to buy is food. Don’t microwave plastics, even the supposedly “food safe” one - that releases a ton of microplastics into your food. Don’t order takeout - again, lots of plastic in the containers. Even paper food containers contain a plastic coating.

Don’t touch receipts, especially with wet hands. Or at minimum, wash your hands thoroughly after touching it

BowtiesAreCool ,

The receipt thing, is about the general carcinogenic properties of the thermal paper, and if anyone is a cashier that handles them regularly, wear gloves.

Boomkop3 ,

Short term: grow your own food. long term: politics

Blue_Morpho ,

The micro plastics are in the soil. If you live urban or suburban, your soil is likely more contaminated with micro plastics than food grown on a rural farm.

Boomkop3 ,

You can’t buy and optionally clean a bag of dirt?

metaStatic ,

Can't wait for the Water World future, these bags of dirt are gonna be worth a fortune.

Boomkop3 ,

Now that’s something to stockpile then

ApathyTree ,
@ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Considering it’s also in the water, probably not, no.

Boomkop3 ,

Next to none in my water :p

ApathyTree ,
@ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

There’s next to none in all water, when measured by volume.

But things concentrate, so the 0.00005% adds up over time.

Blue_Morpho ,

The plastic particles are small enough to enter the cells of your body. No filter can let dirt through and block micro plastics.

EuroNutellaMan ,
@EuroNutellaMan@lemmy.world avatar

Some people here say space, but anything that takes you to space contains microplastics, in fact you yourself contain microplastic. The only way to avoid microplastics is simply to not exist at all. And I don’t mean dying, when you die you still have microplastics in your body.

prex ,

https://aussie.zone/pictrs/image/8a7e214a-9d13-42dc-b4b7-e9688306eefa.gif

Randomgal ,

That’s the fun part. You don’t.

Canuck ,

The two most common sources of microplastics that enter your body are from the vessels you eat/drink from, and from particles in the air from things like clothes, carpets, furniture, linens.

How to avoid? Use stainless steel, aluminum, copper, (or other metals), ceramic, or glass storage vessels for things like water (including your Brita) for warming things in the microwave, or for storing food, and reduce buying things in plastic if you plan on keeping them there for awhile (eg glass ketchup bottle). Replace any plastic water pipes in your wall with good ol copper. My main water vessels are all stainless steel.

For particulate, consider air filtration, buy clothes/furniture/carpets made from natural animal/ sources like cotton, wool, bamboo, avoiding plastics like polyester. That includes your scrubbing utensil for dishes. Your carpets are probably made with some sort of plastic, so if it’s too much to do hardwood, or replace with a natural fibre, the Dyson vacuums are good at getting out loose microplastics.

Be warned, one time I almost bought a stainless steel cup from a reputable retailer, and upon further investigation it was just plastic with a steel coating… Yep, made in Communist China…

match ,
@match@pawb.social avatar

https://pawb.social/pictrs/image/1e6cf4a6-a50a-42a8-87da-8d57dc00bc5d.jpeg

communism ,
@communism@lemmy.ml avatar

You can’t completely avoid them, but avoiding plastic food/drink containers is an easy thing to do. Good for the environment too, not just your health.

Shdwdrgn ,

I sure do miss glass bottles.

nobleshift ,
@nobleshift@lemmy.world avatar

Seal yourself in a sterile cement tube with nothing but filtered air.

Of course you’ll have to have all the microplastics removed from your body 1st, including your GOD DAMN BALLS and BRAIN.

Good luck and God Speed.

tiefling ,

That’s the neat part, you don’t!

Coasting0942 ,

Read a material science book. Then think about exposure anytime you see plastic.

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