Look around. Analyze your room for a moment. From the tiny button on your dress shirt to large food containers, we are surrounded by plastic. Plastic is the central part of our everyday life. From our furniture to our clothing, everything is made up of plastic. Thus it is a common thing to ponder why plastic is harmful to your health.
This over-the-top use of plastic has put us on the verge of serious complications be it in the health department or in the biodiversity section. With all the recent information spike and an ingrowing public interest in the matter (thanks to COVID-19), people are now more interested in their health.
This calls for an increased interest in plastics and their ubiquitous use in everyday life matters has made it a household name. We have successfully replaced cotton, glass, and paper with plastic. This replacement has opened the door to various complications in health and biodiversity domains.
Furthermore, people are now asking questions such as what happens if you eat plastic and is it safe to microwave plastic or if microwaving plastic containers can cause cancer.
We will now answer some queries regarding is plastic bad for you and why is plastic harmful to your health.
Table of Contents
What is Plastic?
Plastic is an artificial polymer that is highly flexible and can be molded in any shape and form. It is also a poor conductor of heat and electricity and offers transparency and toughness.
Dangers of Plastic Containers for Food
The takeouts and the delivery containers are mainly made up of plastic. Whenever you eat food from them you end up taking in an unwanted amount of plastic as well. Let us discuss some main reasons why you should refrain from this practice because of the many dangers of plastic containers for food.
1. Plastic Gets Transferred to the Food
According to groundbreaking research published in The Journal of Food and Science, humans are mostly ingesting 74,000 particles of microplastics on a yearly basis. What happens is that microplastics tend to leach off from the containers into the foods.
This can lead you to the verge of acquiring pancreatic or thyroid cancer. Thus a simple way of reducing your plastic footprint is by ditching the plastic containers. Try to eat foods in either glass or steel utensils to reduce the bad effects of plastic on your health.
2. Plastic is Bad for Your Health
There is not a two-way street. Plastic is bad for health and that is the end of the debate!
One of the primary reasons for its mainstream use is its perseverance. But the same stability is dangerous for human health and overall wellbeing.
Wondering about what happens if you eat plastic. Well, first things first it does not disintegrate. Then it tends to stay inside your organs for a longer period of time.
Several researchers have commented that microplastics can even cross the blood-brain barrier and can enter the nervous system. It can even be dangerous for all pregnant women because it can even cross the barrier of the placenta.
Plastics are also extremely dangerous for fertility in both men and women. This is because of the release of phthalates from plastics.
3. Plastic is Dangerous for the Environment
We have been using plastic since 1950. The plastic saturation has now reached such a level that we are even breathing in tonnes of plastic particles on a daily level. It is in our soil, ocean, and even in our food products.
Thus we need to reduce our dependence on plastics as it is dangerous not only for your health but also for our environment.
4. Plastic Chemicals can Cause Obesity
The chemicals that are present in plastic can reprogram your cells to store more fats and calories in them. Thus if you are dependent on fast foods or frozen foods, then it can lead you to obesity. These food options usually come in plastic containers which are extremely dangerous for your health.
Refrain from eating too many fast foods as it interferes with the body’s metabolism and exposes a person to a series of health complications.
Can I Put Plastic in Microwave?
Yes, you can put plastic in the microwave. But you should refrain from doing so. This is because when plastic is heated, it can lead to bond breakage. The components can then be mixed with the food. If you consume such foods then you are exposed to a high risk of cancers.
Wondering is it safe to microwave plastic? The answer is no.
Avoid heating plastic in the microwave as it is a major cancer-causing habit.
How to Avoid the Use of Plastic?
We do understand that plastics are pretty much unavoidable. But you should still try to limit your plastic footprint as much as you can. You can try the following green solutions in these matters:
1. Glass Water Bottles
You cannot reduce your water intake as it is highly important for the body. Try to reduce the use of plastic water bottles, especially during the summers. As the high temperature can lead to the leaching of plastic from the bottle and it ends up becoming a part of the water and then your body.
2. Stainless Steel Containers
There are many dangers of plastic containers for food. From causing cancers to various cardiac issues, plastic containers can do it all. Therefore try to ditch the plastic container and use a stainless container instead. You can also use glassware.
3. Stainless Steel Straws
You can try to reduce your reliance on plastic. Dump the plastic straws. Either pour the fluid into a glass/cup or make sure to use stainless steel straws.
Avoid the Use of Plastic – It is Dangerous for Health
Plastic is harmful to our planet and to our health. It is high time to realize the impact of plastic containers on health. We do understand that the battle is a tough one you make sure to be smart in avoiding plastic as much as you can.
It is not about being perfect it is just about being informative and making better lifestyle choices.
In case you need further help or have any queries regarding the cancerous effects of plastic on the body you can reach out to the best oncologists via healthwire.pk.
