Processes influencing the toxicity of microplastics ingested through the diet

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Food Science
• Toxicology

Background:

• Microplastics are ubiquitous environmental contaminants.
• Plastics contain various organic and inorganic additives, some with known health risks.
• The fate of these additives during food processing and digestion is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the release of additives from microplastics during culinary treatment.
• To assess the solubilization of microplastic additives during simulated gastrointestinal digestion.
• To identify specific additives of concern released under these conditions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of organic additives using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
• Quantification of inorganic additives via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
• Simulated culinary treatment and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion models.

Main Results:

• Significant levels of organic additives, including potential carcinogens, were detected in microplastics.
• Elevated concentrations of antimony (Sb) in PET, zinc (Zn) and barium (Ba) in LDPE and PVC, and titanium (Ti) and lead (Pb) in LDPE were observed.
• Culinary processes enhanced the release and solubilization of additives like phthalates, benzophenone, N-butylbenzenesulfonamide (NBBS), and bisphenol A into cooking liquids.
• Phthalates and NBBS were also solubilized during simulated gastrointestinal digestion.

Conclusions:

• Culinary treatment and gastrointestinal digestion significantly promote the release and solubilization of additives from ingested microplastics.
• The solubilization of these additives may increase their bioavailability and potential entry into systemic circulation.
• This study highlights the risk associated with microplastic-associated additives entering the human body through diet and food preparation.