A world-first study in Australia has found that commercially available rice contains high levels of “potentially dangerous” plastic particles, with ready-to-eat rice containing even higher levels of plastic particles
A world-first study in Australia has found that commercially available rice contains large amounts of “potentially dangerous” plastic particles (microplastic), with ready-to-eat rice having higher levels of plastic particles. Researchers recommend that as much rice as possible before cooking to reduce the contamination of plastic particles, and minimize the consumption of ready-to-eat rice.
The Australian media reported that researchers from the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences found that a 100-gram serving of raw rice contained an average of 3 to 4 milligrams of plastic, while instant rice or pre-cooked rice (Instant rice or Precooked Rice (Instant Rice or Precooked Rice) contains four times more plastic, or an average of 13 milligrams of plastic particles per 100 grams.
Dr. Jake O’Brien, lead author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, said they found that careful rice panning before cooking could reduce plastic contamination by 20 to 40 percent.
O’Brien noted that they used everyday rice from local stores for their study, and that a grain of rice is about 8 millimeters long, while plastic particles are defined as pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in diameter.
A type of ready-to-eat rice made in Korea can be eaten simply by heating it in a microwave. (Hyeon-Jeong Suk/Wikipedia)
The innovative method developed and used by the University of Queensland research team is based on the plastic quantification techniques used in their previous studies of plastics in seafood and sewage sludge.
O’Brien said the levels of plastic particles are relatively low, but their impact on human health is still to be understood. “I don’t think people should worry about it, but they should be aware of it. There is still a lot unknown about the extent to which consuming plastic particles is harmful to human health, but we do know that there is some risk associated with exposure to plastic particles.”
He said, “We hope that this research will continue, not only to find out how to more effectively get rid of plastic particles in rice, but also to remind the community to be more aware of the need to avoid exposure to plastic particles in their daily lives.”
“For future research, we aim to introduce studies on the size of plastic particles alongside density measurements, and the potential health effects of plastic particles may depend on size.”
The team found through testing that rice contains plastic particulate components mostly in plastic bags, fishing nets and toys.
Plastic particles are defined as pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in diameter. (Shutterstock)
In addition, another study conducted by the University of Newcastle, Australia, reported that people ingest an average of about 2,000 small pieces of plastic per week, which together are the size of a credit card.
Dr. Thava Palanisami, a senior researcher on the project, noted that the presence of such amounts of plastic particles in rice is very concerning. “In general, the smaller the size of the plastic particle, the greater the potential health risk because it can enter the bloodstream and human organs.”
Dr. O’Brien said that although the study is still in its early stages, it has shown that carefully washing rice before use is the best way to reduce the risk. He also noted that future studies will include other staple foods such as grains.
According to the IELC study, plastic particles entering the body may cause a variety of health effects, including inflammation and death of cells and body tissues, which in turn have been linked to a variety of negative health outcomes, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative disease and stroke.
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