Regulators will find themselves in an increasing dilemma as health benefits become unclear and costs high. For example, in the case of microplastics.
There is now evidence that micro- and nanoparticles of plastics enter the human body from the environment through inhalation, ingestion and even through the skin. Science is still working hard to answer the questions of how many there are, where they come from and what they cause.
It is strongly suspected that microplastics in the bloodstream increase the risk of heart attacks and vascular events through inflammatory processes and oxidative stress. They are confirmed to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier [a specialised protective barrier between blood and brain tissue, ed.] and are suspected of contributing to neurodegenerative diseases. Possible negative effects on the lungs or immune system are also being investigated.
Microplastics are therefore also being looked at by regulators. In October this year, EFSA - the European Food Safety Authority - published a review of analyses focusing on the release of microplastics from food packaging. From more than 1 700 publications, it selected 122 of the most relevant ones for closer scrutiny.
Its conclusion was quite critical: "Many publications are affected by methodological shortcomings in the test conditions in sample preparation and deficiencies in the reliability of the analytical data, resulting in frequent misidentification and miscounting."
