Zangmeister, C.
, Radney, J.
, Benkstein, K.
and Kalanyan, B.
(2022),
Common Single-use Consumer Plastic Products Release Trillions of Nanoparticles per Liter into Water During Normal Use, Nature Nanotechnology, [online], https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c06768, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=932999
(Accessed June 1, 2023)
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Common Single-use Consumer Plastic Products Release Trillions of Nanoparticles per Liter into Water During Normal Use
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Abstract
This study demonstrates that commonly used consumer products such as single use food grade nylon bags and hot beverage cups lined with low-density polyethylene release nm-sized plastic particles at number densities > 1012 L 1 when exposed to water. The number of particles released is a function of the initial water temperature (100 °C vs. ambient). Mean particle diameters were between 30 nm and 80 nm with few particles > 200 nm. On a number density basis, our findings equate to one particle per cell in the human body with daily usage of the tested materials at a particle size range that is facile for cellular uptake, and are 10 to 100 times below the safety limit set by the United States Food and Drug Administration on a per mass basis.Citation
Nature Nanotechnology
Pub Type
Journals
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Keywords
Nanoparticle, water quality, food safety
Citation
Created April 20, 2022, Updated February 21, 2023