If You Don’t Drink Or Smoke, Don’t Take Plastic Either
Your body contains an average of 20 metabolites from plastics that are used to package food or that pollute the environment.
The painter Miquel Barceló and the presenter and actress Silvia Abril now know that there is plastic inside their body and that it has entered it because it is found as a contaminant in food and beverages. And they know it because they have done a urine analysis together with 18 other renowned professionals to show to what extent plastic has invaded us without our realizing it.
The initiative came from the Rezero Foundation, which wanted to draw the attention of society to our out-of-control relationship with plastic. The urine samples were analyzed by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, which has the reference laboratory in this type of research, and the data was studied by the Research Group in Clinical and Molecular Cancer Epidemiology of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute. Doctors (IMIM), by Dr. Miquel Porta.
The 20 participants in a study have their bodies contaminated with plastics
The analyzes have found that the urine of each of the 20 participants, without exception, contained at least 20 substances related to the composition of plastics: 15 metabolites of phthalates, which are used in the manufacture of soft plastics, and 5 phenols , such as parabens, triclosan and bisphenols, used to give shape and hardness to plastic objects.
Food is the main route for plastic to enter the body
It is easy to imagine that we are all contaminated to a similar degree. According to Dr. Miquel Porta, the main vehicle for the entry of plastics into the body is food, which incorporates particles at some point in the production and distribution process. In the case of fish, the plastic may have been ingested by animals in the sea. And in the case of water, it drags particles from the container, to give just two examples.
They are also found in cosmetics and other products
Some plasticizers are also found in other products where they go unnoticed, such as cosmetics (phthalates are used to fix perfumes and parabens as preservatives), air fresheners, clothing or cash receipts (they release bisphenol). In all of these, these elements can enter the body through the skin.
The body is capable of expelling plastic but its passage through the body is not safe, since many of the metabolites found are endocrine disruptors and have been linked to autoimmune diseases, hypothyroidism, infertility, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer.
In view of the results, the Rezero Foundation, which has launched the “Plastic Health” campaign to publicize the study, requires the authorities to carry out analyzes on representative samples of the population to confirm the magnitude of the problem and that act by enacting restrictive laws. In many cases absolute prohibition is justified and in others use should be restricted.
How can you prevent plastics from entering your body?
As Dr. Elena Carreras says, who has provided her urine to be analyzed, from now on the basic health advice that doctors can offer their patients is “do not drink, do not smoke and follow a plastic-free diet” . For this you can take the following measures:
- Avoid seafood.
- Avoid over-packaged foods.
- Consume filtered water rather than bottled water.
- Avoid metal cans whose interior is covered with a plastic film.
- Use ecological cosmetics in glass containers.
- Do not use pans or other cookware with Teflon or other non-stick plastics.
- Do not take the cash receipts.
- Whenever there is an alternative, choose natural materials over plastic.
- Reject single-use plastics: glasses and cutlery, straws, bags or coffee capsules, among others.
All participating personalities
The personalities of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands who have participated in the study have been Miquel Barceló, Silvia Abril, Francesc Mauri, Elena Carreras, Halldór Már, Manu San Félix, Margalida Ramis, Mariona Caldenteny, Carme Solé Vendrell, Toni Gomila, Rubén Sierra, Marcel·lí Antúnez, Joan Grivé, Maties Torrent, Pau Debon, Antoni Agulló, Victòria Maldi, Salud Deudero, Rosa García (director of the Rezero Foundation) and the study director himself, Dr. Miquel Porta.
