The Ā鶹“«Ć½ Blog
Beatrice Glaviano ā26 explores the impact of microplastics on meat production and consumption, urging readers to consider the environmental and health implications of our dietary choices.
October 4, 2024
Steak. Hamburgers. Pulled pork. Hot dogs. Kielbasa. Bratwurst. Filet Mignon. Chili. Beef Wellington. Wagyu.
I think itās safe to say that the world likes its meat. For my own self, my order is typically one of the following:
For a retired vegan, I think that I have some pretty good expectations for how I enjoy the meatier side of the menu. At the same time, I am aware of the impacts meat and dairy production have on the Earth, which has in turn made me increasingly mindful over the past couple of months of my meat consumption. Granted, Iām a college student, but I do what I can.
In the past couple of weeks, after explaining my research to one of my favorite professors ā James Ayers ā it was brought to my attention that there is not only a correlation of microplastics in fish, but in meat as well. Knowing myself, I had to know more. So...
Why Does Meat Matter?
Meat has been around forever. Iām meat. Youāre meat. Weāre just a bunch of meatsuits walking around listening to music and eating pizza. Us humans have been consuming animals ever since we āhappenedā in the evolutionary timeline of species. However, ever since we started to get into animal agriculture and processing our food to the point of asking, āIs this really food?,ā I think there comes a point where it can be agreed that evolution didnāt quite plan for our rapid intellectual evolution.
Plastic is a synthetic material created from polymers that can be molded to suit a variety of uses. It can be found in plastic-based cups, utensils, food bins, Saran wrap, toys ā itās quite literally everywhere. Originally, most of these products were either paper, glass, or metal-based, but due to the ease and low manufacturing price of plastic, well... the human race did what it does best: we got lazy. See, between ā1950 and 2015, 7,800 million tons of plastic were produced, half of which between 2002 and 2015ā (Kedzierski et al.). I donāt know about you, but thatās a lot of plastic. According to a study done in April of this year, not only will 200 million tons of plastic waste be created, but 70 million tons of that plastic will end up in nature (āPlastic Overshoot Day: Report 2024ā). Thatās not... great. Thatās 70 million tons of garbage ending up in our oceans, forests, streams, deserts, and any ecosystem that humanity brushes their fingers across. While I can admit that there are many eco-friendly options on the market for clothing, food containers, disposable utensils, better toilet paper, etc., a lot of these products are typically sold for a higher price, turning off consumption. This also doesnāt change the fact that thereās a lot of plastic contamination all over the place. Apparently, a āstudy carried out on honey and sugar coming from different countries revealed contamination by fibres and fragmentsā (Kedzierski et al.). This had stemmed from the use of plastic bags by beekeepers to supply sugar to their bees and other pollinators that mightāve gotten the opportunity to munch on that glucose.
But, Beatrice, you say, āHow does this relate to meat?
āWell, my dear reader, youāll find that in nature, everything relates to everything one way or another.ā
Cow = meat. Thatās the basic premise of it. There are other sources of animal meat, but weāre going to focus on cows. What do those cattle eat? Grass? Corn? Most agricultural cattle are fed corn from Somewhere, USA. My guess is corn-filled plastic bags from a crop field in America designated to supply livestock. Not good. What are these cows drinking? Water? How regulated is that water? Is it looked at by the animal-equivalent of the FDA?
Chances are, probably not. And thatās where the problem is.
As said by Maria Westerbos, director of the Plastic Soup Foundation, ā...almost every steak and burger contains small pieces of plasticā (Bosch). Evidently, itās not only your onion ring thatās crunchy, but the little particles in your favorite angus patty, too. Granted, the concentration of these particles per meat product will vary ā thereās bound to be some products with 0% microplastics out there somewhere ā but for the most part, they are always somewhere to be found.
Following their study, the Plastic Soup Foundation published the following data in 2022:
From my own back in 2023, there are many different microplastics out on the market. Primarily, the presence of cloth fibers ā often made of polyethylene terephthalate ā are whatās commonly found in animal meats. In fact, āNylon and fiber were identified as the predominant polymer types and shapes of MPs found in cow and sheep tissuesā (Farkhondeh Bahrani et al.). There are other types of fabrics out there, but these two seem to be the heaviest hitters. Quality of material definitely impacts how fast something degrades, however there is a decent bit of fast-fashion in the world as well as clothing waste. Both of these factors contribute to the concentration of microplastics in our world based on their decomposition rates. Of course, there are socioeconomic factors to take into consideration as well, but those are the big reasons, which lead us to our final question.
Why on earth do we care?
We live on this Earth, number one. For a species that was supposedly given the intellect and physiology to help the planet, weāre doing a pretty darn horrible job at it. Plastic is leaching into our ecosystems, our natural wonders, our food and drink... and into us. Just like how cows are eating plastics hidden in their foods, that same effect is happening to us. To break it down, letās say that one pound of corn has a singular gram of microplastics. Now, letās watch the trend:
This isnāt my best artwork, but you get the point.
Like I said, meat has been around for almost forever. Weāve been around for almost forever. Cattle evolved from whales of all things! Maybe my Dad is right, and we evolved from fish, but the point of the matter is that plastic accumulates, and can accumulate in living tissues.
Weāre living tissues. You and me, your professors. Weāre all just meat.
And weāre getting sick.
As stated by my random rant to my microbiology professor:
Fat-soluble microplastics --> enter into fatty meats (i.e. Marbled steaks, pork, etc.) --> stay in meats due to high fat content --> people consume the meat --> plastics get stuck in people (adipose) --> people develop epigenetic reactions to MPs being stuck in them --> hormone dysregulation --> chronic illness, disease, other resistances --> meat is typically linked with T2 Diabetes (even before MP studies really began) --> population obesity is worsening --> baby birth weights are increasing, affecting mortality rates.... so on and so forth.
Maybe these should be inside thoughts? Oh well.
In this article, we talked about microplastics in meat. What I didnāt tell you is that microplastics can be fat-soluble, leading them to like the adipose (fat) tissue of living things. I wouldnāt be surprised that when people lose fat, they also lose a considerable percentage of microplastics from their body as well. With this thinking, Iād like to say that perhaps itās not only high fat content that is harmful to human health, but the micro-items that get trapped in those lipids as well. The longer I live, the higher the prevalence of chronic disease, cancer, allergies, heightened immune responses, and other health deficits seem to become.
I think there are plenty of conspiracies to be had involving animal agriculture, microplastics, health downfall, socio-economic instability, and other stuff, but thatās for another day. Maybe Iāll go into the hormonal effects microplastics have on the body, but thatās definitely going to be for another article, because Iām almost at five pages. Thatās a lot of writing.
Finally, the last message Iād like to convey to you all is that Iām not telling you this to scare you. Iām not. Yet, there is a difference between blissful ignorance and simply not being aware of real issues. Iām not saying Iām a saint either; I literally study microplastics but still use plastic products. Thatās the irony of it: Escape is nearly impossible, as weāve become so reliant on the stuff. All I want to do is provide unbiased, true information from a scientific-yet-digestible standpoint that could benefit the Earth and her beauty.
I hope that everyone is having a fabulous week, and that your life is given some joy this week. All my love to you all, and always know that getting outside never hurts.
With peace, love, and peanut butter, your friend,
Beatrice
For those who are new, feel free to email me at bglav1@unh.newhaven.edu with questions, comments, blog ideas, or typo concerns, lol. Thank you so much for reading, and I cannot wait to see you again! Stay tuned.
Works Cited
Bosch, Fleur. āAround 80% of Cow and Pig Meat, Blood and Milk Contains Plastic.ā Plastic Soup Foundation, 7 July 2022, www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2022/07/80-of-cow-and-pig-meat-blood-and-milk-contains-plastic/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2024.
Farkhondeh Bahrani, et al. āOccurrence of Microplastics in Edible Tissues of Livestock (Cow and Sheep).ā Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, vol. 31, no. 14, 26 Feb. 2024, pp. 22145ā22157, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32424-9. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
Kedzierski, MikaĆ«l, et al. āMicroplastic Contamination of Packaged Meat: Occurrence and Associated Risks.ā Food Packaging and Shelf Life, vol. 24, June 2020, p. 100489, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100489. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
āPlastic Overshoot Day: Report 2024.ā Earth Action, 11 Apr. 2024, www.e-a.earth/plastic-overshoot-day-report-2024/.
SĆ”nchez, Alicia , et al. āProcesses Influencing the Toxicity of Microplastics Ingested through the Diet.ā ScienceDirect, ScienceDirect, 30 Oct. 2024, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814624015978. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
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