지영도영
가볍게 들고다니고 좋아 자주 사용했는데 지양해야겠어요
Reporter Lee Seul-bi's story
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Since humans began using processed plastic products, tiny pieces of plastic, called microplastics, have also begun to circulate. Microplastics are transported through the air and water during various moments, such as washing clothes or wearing disposable masks. They then enter the food chain through fish, cattle, and pigs, and end up on our plates. A significant amount of plastic is being absorbed into the human body through water. Microplastics that aren't filtered out during water purification end up in tap water, and microplastics that fall from water bottles end up in bottled water, which we then drink. If you're concerned about ingesting microplastics, try boiling water before drinking.
◇Just drinking water… Microplastics accumulate in the organs?
There are surprisingly many microplastics in water. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic ranging from 1 nanometer (nm) to 5 millimeters in diameter. A recent study by Columbia University's Earth Research Institute, published in the international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), identified 110,000 to 370,000 plastic particles per liter of drinking water. Of these, 90% were nanoplastics, and the remainder were microplastics. Nanoplastics are extremely small plastics, measuring one billionth of a meter in diameter.
The impact of these tiny plastics on the body is enormous. Professor Lee Kwang-ryeol of the Department of Chemistry at Korea University stated, "Microplastics, which are relatively large particles, can be filtered out or excreted before entering the body." However, he added, "Nanoplastics are so small that they can penetrate any organ in the body, causing damage to brain tissue and even negatively affecting the capillaries in the hands and feet." Various studies have found that small microplastic particles have been detected in the lungs, brain, placenta, breast milk, and testes (sperm).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that microplastics can remain as foreign substances in the body's organs, causing long-term inflammatory responses. Furthermore, plasticizers like bisphenol A and phthalates used in plastic processing can disrupt hormones. Microplastics, due to their small size, have a large surface area, allowing them to release more of the plasticizers they contain.
The WHO also stated that microplastics are hydrophobic and thus easily attract microorganisms and other infectious agents, potentially causing infection if they enter the body. Research by the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology's Rare and Incurable Disease Research Center also found that microplastics are passed on to the next generation through breast milk, potentially increasing the weight and body fat of offspring.
If you're concerned about microplastics in your drinking water, here are some helpful tips.
◇3 Ways to Reduce Microplastic Content
- Drinking tap water
To minimize the intake of microplastics when drinking water, it is best to use a water purifier.
If you don't have a water purifier, drinking tap water is better than bottled water. Most water purifiers have filters that can filter out microplastics, though not nanoplastics. Rather than saying tap water is better, bottled water is more likely to contain a large amount of microplastics. This is because microplastics are created when water is poured into a bottle or when the bottle cap is opened and closed. A study published by the Rhein-Main University of Applied Sciences in Germany found that when the cap is opened and closed,
Microplastics have been confirmed to be produced. When a water bottle cap was opened once, 131 microplastic particles (MPP) were detected per liter. After 11 openings and closings, the number of MPPs was detected, nearly double the number, reaching 242. A study by the University of British Columbia in Canada also found that people who drank tap water consumed less microplastics than those who drank water from plastic containers.
2. Boil water and drink it
Simply boiling water can remove microplastics.
Professor Lee Gwang-ryeol said, "The surface of microplastics has a negative charge, and when you boil water containing minerals, microplastics stick to the cations such as calcium and magnesium, forming clumps." He continued, "If you then filter out the limestone deposits using a coffee filter made of 100% pulp, you can drink water with reduced levels of microplastics." Recently, a research team led by Dr. Eddie Zeng of Jinan University in Guangzhou, China, announced the results of a study showing that boiling water and drinking it can reduce microplastics by as much as 90% in water with a hardness of 300 mg/L (calcium carbonate and magnesium content).
However, tap water and bottled water in Korea are soft water with low hardness. According to the 'February 2024 Water Quality Test Report' published by the Seoul Arisu Headquarters, the hardness of Arisu was 70-85mg per liter. Most bottled water on the market is also soft water: ▲'Jeju Samdasoo' has a hardness of less than 20mg/L ▲Lotte Chilsung Beverage's 'Isis 8.0' has a hardness of 60-80mg/L ▲Nongshim Baeksansoo has a hardness of around 30mg/L. Previous studies have shown that only about 25% of microplastics were removed from water with a hardness of less than 60mg/L. Professor Lee Gwang-ryeol said, "If you add a small amount of edible calcium carbonate, such as a calcium supplement, and boil it, you can remove microplastics more effectively. Most calcium carbonate precipitates at 100 degrees Celsius, so you don't have to worry too much about its harmfulness."
3. Drinking water straight from the bottle
Be careful, as freezing or microwaving water bottles can release more microplastics.
A joint study by Virginia Tech and Zhejiang University in China found that freezing plastic containers creates large amounts of microplastics when they are thawed. Microwaving is also a no-no. A joint study by the University of Nebraska and Lincoln University in the US found that heating them for three minutes at 1,000W released 4.22 million microplastics. Furthermore, microplastics dissolve more easily in alcohol, oil, and other substances than in water, so it's best not to add other solutions to empty water bottles.
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I made some donggulle tea yesterday too.
It seems like it would be good to boil it and drink it when the cold wind blows
I don't use a water purifier
I bought some water and am drinking it.