New research raises the question of whether 'takeaway coffee' is safe for you.

Because of the new research results, published in the international journal of environmental science, and the journal of Hazardous Materials shows that drinking coffee in a "takeaway" plastic cup just once a week exposes the body to tens of thousands of particles. microplastics every year, according to the Daily Mail.

Scientists from Sichuan University (China) measured the number of microplastics released by takeaway cups. Includes 3 types: PP, PET, and PE plastic. In particular, PE is the type of plastic commonly used to make takeaway coffee cups.

They poured 400ml of water into each plastic cup, covered it with foil to prevent airborne microplastics from entering the glass, and then shook it for a few minutes. The procedure is also performed on a clean beaker, which is used as a standard to correct for potential process contamination.

The results showed that the number of microplastic particles in the water was from 723 to 1,489 particles/glass after 5 minutes. And the longer it takes, the greater the number of plastic particles released, according to the Daily Mail.

PP cups produce the highest number of particles, which is of concern given the widespread use of this material. From the results, it is estimated that people may accidentally ingest 37,613 - 89,294 microplastic particles per year due to using 1 plastic cup every 4-5 days/week, the researchers said.

Considering the potential harm of microplastics, microplastic contamination by using plastic cups to hold drinks needs to be taken seriously, the researchers warn. The smallest microparticles can be harmful to health, as they are more likely to penetrate human cells.

Most of the microplastics in the study were smaller than 50 micrometers - the size of human hair. The harm to human health from microplastics has not been fully studied, according to the Daily Mail.

Via: thanhnien.vn