When you get home and start cooking for your family, you can use a wooden cutting board instead of a plastic one to chop your vegetables.
New research suggests these types of cutting boards may release microplastics that may be harmful to your health.
A recent South Dakota State University study published in collaboration with the American Chemical Society found that over the course of a year, plastic sheets lose the same amount of microplastics as the weight of 10 red Solo cups.
In the study, “Cutting Boards: A Neglected Source of Microplastics in Human Food,” researchers cut carrots on polyethylene and polypropylene boards. They then washed the vegetables and used microfilters to determine how many plastic particles were stuck to the food.
Researchers have found that healthy vegetables can contain between one and a dozen microplastic particles that stick to them every time they are cut. Not as tasty as garlic or onions in soup.
Researchers estimate that if you use a cutting board every day, you could ingest between 7 and 50 grams of microplastics from a polyethylene cutting board and about 50 grams from a polypropylene cutting board. The average weight of one red cup is about 5 grams.
Most studies have yet to definitively determine the health effects of microplastics due to limited long-term study data. Some health experts believe they can disrupt the endocrine system and cause inflammation.
Since joining WTOP, Luke Luckett has held nearly every position in the newsroom, from producer to web correspondent and is now a staff reporter. He was an avid UGA football fan. Let’s go, Dougs!
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Post time: Nov-02-2023