It has become more common than ever for parents to prepare baby formula for their child using plastic feeding bottles. While highlighting the abundance of plastic used in food products, new research on Monday (Oct 19) has found that bottle-fed babies may ingest millions of microplastic particles a day,
With the use of baby bottles made from polypropylene (PP)—the most commonly used plastic for food containers—scientists are seeking to assess if exposure to microplastics at these levels poses a risk to infant health.
The rate of microplastic release in 10 different types of baby bottles or accessories were recorded in research published in the Nature Food Journal.
They also followed official guidelines from the World Health Organization for sterilising plastic bottles and preparing formula milk.
Sterilisation of Bottles and High Water Temperatures Affects Microplastic Release Most
The study found that the hot water, coupled with the bottle shaking produced a lot of microplastics.
Taking into account experimental data and basing off national average rates of breastfeeding, scientists estimated that the average bottle-fed baby could be ingesting 1.6 million plastic microparticles a day during their first year when fed using plastic bottles.
This number is a stark difference as compared to what adults might ingest.
“A study last year by the World Health Organization estimated adults would consume between 300 and 600 microplastics a day – our average values were on the order of a million or millions,” said Prof John Boland, at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.
Research authors stated that the sterilisation of these polypropylene infant feeding bottles and exposure to high-temperature water had the biggest effect on microplastic release.
While it is already known that microplastics in the environment can contaminate human food and drink, the study shows that food preparation in plastic containers can lead to significant microplastic exposure to thousands of times higher.
Although many of the microplastic particles will be excreted, the amount that might enter the bloodstream and travel to the rest of the body has yet to be established.
Image source: iStock
Study Aims To Highlight Potential Problems Than Deter Use of Plastic Feeding Bottles
This leaves scientists concerned over how microplastics may carry pathogens or toxic chemicals into the body—and that this issue is pressing particularly for infants.
Scientists say the health implications are unknown and the effects on infant health require further investigation.
Ultimately, the aim of the study according to the authors, is not to deter parents from using milk bottles but to highlight the potential problems that come with exposure to these bottle microplastics.
Prof Oliver Jones at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, notes that the babies’ exposure levels were estimates rather than measurements.
He said: “We should not be making parents feel bad for using plastic bottles. However, this study illustrates that the microplastics problem is likely much bigger than we think [and] something we need to start really getting to grips with.”
Image source: iStock
Bottle Sterilisation Guidelines to Reduce Microplastic Exposure
According to the scientists, however, there are ways to cut down on the microplastics produced during the usual formula milk preparation.
It involves an additional washing step by rinsing bottles with cold sterilised water. Similarly, the formula milk is prepared in a non-plastic container, then cooled and poured into the clean bottle.
Other solutions are to use glass bottles—although they are heavier for babies and risk breakage—and developing coatings to prevent plastics from shedding particles.
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