A Taiwanese study revealed that heating common food packaging could release hundreds of millions of potentially carcinogenic microplastic particles, raising troubling questions about food safety standards.
National Taiwan University professor of occupational medicine Cheng Tsun-jen (鄭尊仁) on Thursday said that he launched the research as the head of a Taiwanese team to confirm a recent study in Canada suggesting that heat could trigger the release of minute plastic particles.
The observation is concerning, as plasticine products are widely found in various food containers and lining materials, he said.
Photo: Lo Chi, Taipei Times
The team was able to confirm that commonly utilized plastic vessels emit nanoscopic plastic particles after being heated, and that tube-feeding these substances to lab mice causes cancer, Cheng said.
Examination of the mice showed that the microplastics can spread to organs throughout the body, resulting in changes in gut microbiota, oxidative stress and inflammation, he said.
Microplastics in the liver were linked to changes to enzymatic changes, an increase in sugar and triglyceride levels, and liver diseases including fibrosis and tumors, Cheng said.
Researchers also observed changes in the synapses of the central nervous systems of older mice that had been fed microplastics, he said.
The findings suggest that plastic particles could have a negative health impact on humans, but more evidence is needed to confirm the hypothesis, Cheng said.
The team discovered traces of microplastics in the feces of all 50 young Taiwanese volunteers in the study, showing that ingestion of the substance is widespread, he said.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences director Chen Pau-chung (陳保中) said the study has increased the uncertainty in an already murky area for public health.
There is no reliable definition for single-use and reusable plastics, or guidance on their safe utilization, he said, adding that the public is urged to minimize exposure to such products as much as possible.
Taiwanese paleontologists have discovered fossil evidence that pythons up to 4m long inhabited Taiwan during the Pleistocene epoch, reporting their findings in the international scientific journal Historical Biology. National Taiwan University (NTU) Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology associate professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修) led the team that discovered the largest snake fossil ever found in Taiwan. The single trunk vertebra was discovered in Tainan at the Chiting Formation, dated to between 400,000 and 800,000 years ago in the Middle Pleistocene, the paper said. The area also produced Taiwan’s first avian fossil, as well as crocodile, mammoth, saber-toothed cat and rhinoceros fossils, it said. Discoveries
Taiwanese paleontologists have discovered fossil evidence that pythons up to 4m long inhabited Taiwan during the Pleistocene epoch, reporting their findings in the international scientific journal Historical Biology. National Taiwan University (NTU) Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology associate professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修) led the team that discovered the largest snake fossil ever found in Taiwan. A single trunk vertebra was discovered in Tainan at the Chiting Formation, dated to between 800,000 to 400,000 years ago in the Middle Pleistocene, the paper said. The area also produced Taiwan’s first avian fossil, as well as crocodile, mammoth, sabre-toothed cat and rhinoceros fossils, it said. Discoveries
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
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