Not so long ago, plastic was considered a miracle material — able to assume any shape for any task, then tossed in the trash, most likely.Now we know more, such as how pieces of plastic find many ways to get into our bodies and stay there. We still don’t know what that means, exactly, but in the meantime, it might be prudent to limit our plastic intake if we can.KOAT health expert Abinash Achrekar, M.D., better known as Dr. Ash, says a good place to start might be that hot cup of coffee you grab on your way to school or work.”Researchers have found that tiny bits of plastic called microplastics in hot drinks like coffee and tea — these tiny plastics come from disposable cups and get into our bodies when we drink,” Dr. Ash said. “Most disposable cups can release plastic into hot drink, especially paper cups coated with plastic,” Dr. Ash said. “Researchers found thousands of microplastics can come from a single cup.”The University of New Mexico, where Dr. Ash is a resident cardiologist at the UNM Hospital, has been at the cutting edge of research on microplastics, and much of it is cause for concern.”UNM researchers have found microplastics in several human tissues, including the brain,” Dr. Ash said. “They found up to 10 times more plastic in the brains of people diagnosed with dementia. We can’t say at this time that plastic is the cause of this, but it could affect our health.”So the cup of coffee is as good a place as any to start cutting down on microplastics.”One simple way is using reusable cups instead of disposable ones. Some cafes give discounts if you bring your own cup,” Dr. Ash said. “Scientists are also working on safer cups made with natural material.”
Not so long ago, plastic was considered a miracle material — able to assume any shape for any task, then tossed in the trash, most likely.
Now we know more, such as how pieces of plastic find many ways to get into our bodies and stay there. We still don’t know what that means, exactly, but in the meantime, it might be prudent to limit our plastic intake if we can.
KOAT health expert Abinash Achrekar, M.D., better known as Dr. Ash, says a good place to start might be that hot cup of coffee you grab on your way to school or work.
“Researchers have found that tiny bits of plastic called microplastics in hot drinks like coffee and tea — these tiny plastics come from disposable cups and get into our bodies when we drink,” Dr. Ash said.
“Most disposable cups can release plastic into hot drink, especially paper cups coated with plastic,” Dr. Ash said. “Researchers found thousands of microplastics can come from a single cup.”
The University of New Mexico, where Dr. Ash is a resident cardiologist at the UNM Hospital, has been at the cutting edge of research on microplastics, and much of it is cause for concern.
“UNM researchers have found microplastics in several human tissues, including the brain,” Dr. Ash said. “They found up to 10 times more plastic in the brains of people diagnosed with dementia. We can’t say at this time that plastic is the cause of this, but it could affect our health.”
So the cup of coffee is as good a place as any to start cutting down on microplastics.
“One simple way is using reusable cups instead of disposable ones. Some cafes give discounts if you bring your own cup,” Dr. Ash said. “Scientists are also working on safer cups made with natural material.”
