Recycled plastic particles9/20/2023 ![]() "You can be aware of your flooring, wear natural fibers, and avoid storing food in plastic containers, but invisibly small plastic particles are likely in nearly every breath we take. ![]() "Unfortunately, there's very little that people can do to reduce exposure at the moment," Stapleton said. Still, numerous studies have provided evidence that plastic chemical additives can have such an effect. ![]() About 80 percent of it is exposed to atmospheric forces that chip off invisibly small particles that float in the air we breathe.Ĭoncern that these microplastics and nano-plastic particles could affect human health by disrupting our hormones is relatively new, Stapleton said. According to previous Rutgers research, manufacturers have made about 9 billion metric tons of plastic in the past 60 years. Plastics have been commonly used since shortly after World War II. However, researchers noted an impairment in vascular function and a decrease in the levels of the reproductive hormone 17 beta-estradiol. Results theorized through pulmonary modeling suggested that inhaled particles deposited in all regions of the rats' lungs without causing significant pulmonary inflammation. ![]() After exposure, the researchers estimated the pulmonary deposits of MNPs and measured their impact on pulmonary inflammation, cardiovascular function, systemic inflammation, and endocrine disruption. The study aimed to assess the toxicological consequences of a single 24-hour exposure of MNPs to female rats in heat. The bass pulse sent the smallest nylon particles into the air, and air streams within the system delivered them to the rats. They then placed the powder onto a rubber pad and put the pad atop a bass speaker. Researchers used an extremely fine, commercially available, food-grade nylon powder as their model MNP. We expect many labs to use this method for experiments going forward as it better mimics actual exposure." We figured out how to aerosolize the MNP to be inhaled just as we breathe it in real life. "Previous studies have injected animals with the particles being studied or fed them to them. "The other innovation was the method of exposure," Stapleton said. "This is one of the first studies to show endocrine disrupting effects from a plastic particle itself, not based on exposure to the plasticizing chemical." Although the researchers started with chipped-up No. "Previous research has focused almost exclusively on chemical additives," said Phoebe Stapleton, assistant professor at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and senior author of the study published in Particle and Fiber Toxicology. The disruption of sex hormones delivered by the endocrine system could help explain health issues such as increasing obesity and declining fertility. The Rutgers study showed that microscale and nanoscale particles (MNPs) of polyamide, a common plastic better known as nylon, produced endocrine-disrupting effects when inhaled by female lab rats in concentrations experienced by humans. These findings spurred ongoing efforts to find safer plastic additives. ![]() Other mechanical/physical attributes can also be measured.Īccordingly, Intertek undertakes mechanical testing for tensile strength, modulus and strain.Previous studies focused on chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA) that make plastics stiffer or more flexible. Our NMR team has many years of experience with areas of expertise including polymer and plastic characterisation, composition and contamination, all of which impacts on products such as, for example, plastic bottles, film for sealing food packages and other items. Our experts achieve insight using an array of techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), GPC, ICP and XRF to determine the composition of recycled materials, either as reclaim or as final product particularly in the manufacture of polyester based materials. Additionally, analysis is sought regarding the purity of the material, especially regarding the presence of heavy metals, and into its molecular weight. Recycled plastics analysis is a topic which commands increasing attention, with many firms seeking to attain insight into the nature of plastic, to discover if they have been previously recycled, and if so, to what percentage. Our experts provide insight and in-depth identification and analysis of the most commonly recycled plastics such as PET via NMR, GPC, ICP and XRF ![]()
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