Starch-based bioplastic that is said to be biodegradable and sustainable is potentially as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, and can cause similar health problems, new peer-reviewed research finds.
Bioplastics have been heralded as the future of plastic because it breaks down quicker than petroleum-based plastic, and is often made from plant-based material such as corn starch, rice starch or sugar.
The material is often used in fast fashion clothing, wet wipes, straws, cutlery and a range of other products. The new research found damage to organs, changes to the metabolism, gut microbe imbalances that can lead to cardiovascular disease, and changes to glucose levels, among other health issues.
The authors say their study is the first to confirm “adverse effects of long-term exposure” in mice.
Ok so what do we want? Toxic plastics that last forever or toxic plastics that break down in the environment after 3-5 years?
Because that is the gambit here. We’re not going going to just get rid of plastics altogether.
Also, this article is setting off my BS meter by claiming plastics contain 16,000 toxic substances but not showing how much of that is realistically possible to get into your body. The dose makes the poison!
“This spider contains 1300 toxic substances—one of which will kill you if even a tiny droplet gets in your blood! And these spiders are out in the environment!”
Hm, depends how ‘breaking down’ is defined. Because it usually doesn’t mean there’s no toxic substance left. Instead, plastic degradation often IS the formation of micro or nano plastics. In this case, it’s irrelevant how long this process takes without knowing how long it takes until there’s no toxicity left.
Also, if something is described as ‘biodegradable’, I wouldn’t blame a consumer for composting it. And if it actually poisons the compost, that’s net harm. So, it’d be actively harmful green washing.
It is crucially relevant how long decay takes. That’s why there’s microplastics in your food and your body. Because plastic does not degrade for hundreds of years. Fucking Obviously, that is the single most important aspect of it.
I smell petroleum company money.
Was the study funded by Big Oil?
. . . Just. Curious.
AFAIK the claim was never that bioplastic are “healthy”, the claim is that it breaks down way faster. Preventing a buildup as we have seen with mikroplastic.
Sensationalist headline IMO.Don’t the still break down to microplastics since they are so resistant to being broken down?
IDK how fast they break down, they are supposed to break down faster. But apparently not as fast as to makers claim.
