How much microplastic are you drinking?

 


It’s known that nano and micro plastics are in our food, the air we breathe and in our water. They’re showing up in our human bodies, from sex organs to brain matter.

A new low-cost tool to measure plastics is being tested at the university of British Columbia. This portable tool will accurately measure plastic from our daily disposable cups and water bottles.

The device is paired with an app for the phone. It uses fluorescent labeling. This technique detects plastic particles from 50 nm to 10 µm in size. 

The research was published in ACS Sensors.

Dr. Tianxi Yang developed the tool. He is an assistant professor, in the faculty of land and food systems. He reports, “ The breakdown of larger plastic pieces into microplastics and nanoplastics presents significant threats to food systems, ecosystems, and human health. This new technique allows quick detection of these plastics, which could protect our health and ecosystems.” 

Microplastics are very small particles with a large surface area. They are a big concern to our health because of their increased ability to absorb toxins. Microplastics can also perforate barriers within the human body.

In the past, finding these plastics requires skilled researchers and pricey testing devices. 

Dr. Yang and his team are increasing awareness, accessibility, and creating more reliable and even faster detection of microplastics.

The researchers created a 3-D printed box. The box was both small and biodegradable. Inside is a wireless digital microscope, an excitation filter and an LED green light. The scientists used specialized MATLAB software. These devices use both machine learning algorithms and image capture software.

The end result is revolutionary!

It’s a portable tool that works with a smart phone or other mobile device. The tool reveals the number of plastic particles in the sample. Only the tiniest sample is needed, less than a drop of water. The tool allows the plastic particles to glow under the green LED light in the microscope. The microscope allows scientists to observe and measure the particles. The results are straightforward and designed for the every day user to understand, not just researchers.

Dr. Yang lead a team to test the disposable polystyrene cup. Each cup was filled with 50 mL of boiling water. The water was cooled for 30 minutes. The results showed the cups released hundreds of millions of nano size plastic particles.

Haoming (Peter) Yang was co-author of the study. He states, “Once the microscope in the box captures the fluorescent image, the app matches the image’s pixel area with the number of plastics. The readout shows if plastics are present and how much. Each test only cost 1.5 cents.”

The tool is currently used and adapted to measure microplastics in polystyrene. However, it can be changed to measure polyethylene or polypropylene.

Dr. Yang summarizes, “To reduce plastic ingestion, it is important to consider avoiding petroleum-based plastic products by opting for alternatives like glass or stainless steel for food containers. The development of biodegradable packaging materials is also important for replacing traditional plastics and moving towards a more sustainable world.”

The long-term effects of consuming plastic in our food and beverages are still being studied and are an area of great concern. 

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mike Giradi from Stereotimes commentary on Holostage Room Treatments

I have been  friends with Mike Giradi for a few years and he has helped me test numerous designs .    I was so honored a few weeks ago when he agreed to give these Holostages a few words.  From. Mike G. The sound was a little closed in at first, but then it really opened up to prove it is another great audio product. The noise floor is greatly reduced. I am hearing details I've never heard before. When it's in the recording, the soundstage widens in all directions. The timbre of each instrument is spot on. The six Holostages installed in my room aided in the C13 alignment of air molecules to a far greater extent than the Bybee IQSE devices I had previously been using. Every instrument had greater depth, pop and presence. Listening to classical music on movie soundtracks is incredible now. The Holostages installed on my BACCH4MAC and monoblocks was the answer to what was needed. The noise floor dropped significantly in both cases resulting in greater clarity and music...
Read more

Queen Bee 🐝

Image
  Bees hide an interesting secret. When the hive loses its queen, who alone is able to give life to the colony and maintain order in a perfectly organized society, all seems lost. The life of the hive slows down. Without new eggs, the future is lost. In a few weeks, the colony may be doomed. But the bees do not panic. Nor do they expect salvation from outside. Demonstrating extraordinary collective intelligence and profound instincts, they trigger spectacular emergency procedures, almost unimaginable in a world dominated by insects. --- ◆ The transformation begins with a simple but essential choice The worker bees choose common larvae - those who would normally be mere workers. They are nothing special. They are not born different. But their fate changes completely. They are chosen to receive a special food: royal jelly. A rare substance, produced by healthy bees, rich in proteins, vitamins and bioactive compounds. This is royal food in the purest sense of the word. The larvae fed ...
Read more

Novel Acoustic Wave Discovered

Image
  A new diffraction phenomenon was researched and published on January 14, 2025. The team was led by Tohoku University with collaboration from the Japan atomic energy agency and the RIKEN Center for emergent matter science. Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) are elastic vibrations. They travel along the surface of materials, not unlike ripples on a pond. SAWs are an important part of frequency filters used in every day devices like our cell phones. These devices change electrical signals in vibrations, or ripples. This occurs because of the piezoelectric  effect and it enables efficient signal processing. During this experiment, the team created a periodic array of magnetic nanoscale materials. The magnetic array is a sort of specialized grating that the waves passed through. The scientists were surprised. Instead of the usual symmetric defraction, the team saw something different. They observed a completely new, asymmetrical diffraction of SAWs called ‘non-reciprocal defraction’....
Read more