Web Desk
ISLAMABAD: Nonstick cookware has become a kitchen essential as food doesn’t stick to its surface. It may ease cooking and cleaning the surface, but what lies beneath is a severe health hazard — microplastics.
Microplastics, minuscule plastic particles, pose a severe risk to the environment, flora, fauna, and humans as they are not biodegradable. There is mounting evidence that humans are exposed to microplastics through inhalation and food and drink consumption.
Microplastics accumulate in the bodies of living things, pollute soil and water, and do not decompose in the environment. These particles have a detrimental impact on human health.
What are Microplastics?
With a diameter of less than 5mm, microplastics are tiny plastic bits found in the environment. They are classified as either primary or secondary.
Primary microplastics are produced and meant for external human use, such as bottles, containers, and bags. Large plastic waste breaks down, creating secondary microplastics.
Why are Microplastics Dangerous?
Plastic is inedible, non-biodegradable, and impossible to dispose of after production. Most plastics produced in the world are dumped in landfills, rivers, and eventually lakes and seas. Huge plastic pieces drift over oceans and occasionally clump together to form garbage patches.
Microplastics, if consumed, are very dangerous to human health.
Microplastics in Nonstick Cookware
The nonstick coating of the cookware is made of a synthetic fluoropolymer called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFE falls under Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) — a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals found in several goods we use daily.
Millions of PFAS plastic particles will circulate in the ecosystem for a very long period after they are released, as they are not biodegradable.
PTFE was used to coat 20% of nonstick baking pans and 79% of nonstick frying pans, according to a study from the nonprofit Ecology Center.
The Effect of Microplastic Consumption on Humans
In a recent study in the Science of The Total Environment, researchers used turners made of steel or wood to simulate the cooking process using several nonstick pots and pans.
They discovered that nonstick cookware may release around 9,100 plastic particles when cooking if the surface is cracked.
Around 2,300,000 microplastics and nanoplastics could be released and possibly end up in food if something breaks the coating.
There is mounting evidence that several regularly used PFAS cause thyroid illness, asthma, reduced fertility, and high blood pressure in pregnant women, in addition to liver damage and cholesterol accumulation. People with high exposure levels have been reported to have an increased risk of testicular and kidney cancer.
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Similarly, according to research published in the National Library of Medicine, microplastics may harm human development, reproduction, and the immune and stress system. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated in a study that microplastics interact with a wide range of contaminants, including pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and antibiotics.
Experts recommend using non-sharp utensils that do not scratch the cookware surface. Replacement is advised if the nonstick pans and pots get scratched.
The problem of plastic pollution in the globe is growing, but so are public awareness and response. Different countries have banned and restricted single-use plastic, plastic bags, non-biodegradable plastics, containers, and straws.
