The demand for plastic products and packaging is impacting Australia’s agricultural systems and food supply, according to the CSIRO.
A 2023 study by CSIRO found micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) in a range of food, highlighting the need to better understand their concentrations in the environment and what levels could cause toxicity.
The study is one of the first to analyse the academic literature on microplastics from a food safety and food security risk viewpoint.
Previous studies have found that plastic travels into waterways and is ingested by the fish we eat. However, CSIRO discovered there are more likely pathways for plastic to get into food.
One major route is contamination from the machinery, equipment and plastic wrapping used to handle, process and package food. Fresh food can start off plastic free but contain plastics by the time it’s been handled, packaged and makes its way to be eaten.
More than 10,000 additives help give plastic its useful properties such as making it flexible or resistant to UV radiation. They include compounds such as flame retardants, heavy metals, phthalates and hardeners.
The new study also looks at biosolids as a potential source of microplastics on agricultural land.
More than 700,000 microfibers are shed from synthetic clothing during an average six kilogram washing machine cycle. More than 90 per cent of those fibres are captured by sludge when the water reaches wastewater treatment plants.
The treated sludge material, called biosolids, contains various quantities of plastic. Biosolids are considered a rich fertiliser for agricultural land and growing crops. When biosolids are used on soil, plastics may accumulate and change the soil structure.
There are currently no definitive studies that show micro and nanoplastics in the environment are harmful to humans. The study found that more research is needed to better understand any health effects and to get a better understanding of how many particles people are typically exposed to and at which concentrations these become toxic.
The study is part of CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste mission. The organisation is working with industry, research and government to reduce plastic waste entering the Australian environment by 80 per cent by 2030.
For more information, visit: www.csiro.au
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