'Microplastics in Meat': Lab Test Shows Microplastic Contamination in Pork, Beef, Milk, and Feed

For the first time, microplastic contamination in beef and pork, as well as in farm animals' blood, has been discovered, according to The Guardian's report.

Microplastics in Animals' Blood, Milk, and Feed

In their study, researchers from the Netherlands' Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) discovered the particles in every sample of blood, the milk products, and the three-quarters of meat they analyzed.

Additionally, microplastic was also found in the samples of the animal pellet feed analyzed, pointing to a possibly significant source of contamination. The researchers also point out plastic packaging as another possible source.

Researchers from VUA utilized the same techniques to analyze animal products after discovering microplastics in human blood for the very first time in March. The fact that the particles were found in blood indicates that they can move inside the body and could stay in organs, according to the Guardian.

Researchers are worried because microplastics harm human cells in the lab and because air pollution components have already been acknowledged to penetrate the body and cause millions of premature deaths each year.

However, its effects on the health of humans and animals are still largely unknown, but it is believed that it damages some species in the wild.

This investigation aimed to determine whether there were any microplastics in dairy, meat, or farm animals, which should serve as an impetus to investigate the extent of exposure and any potential concerns, according to Dr. Heather Leslie of VUA, in her statement with The Guardian.

Samples of the Study

Microplastics, including polyethylene and polystyrene, were detected in all 12 samples of cow blood and 12 pig blood samples that the researchers analyzed. Milk from grocery store cartons, farm tanks, and hand-milking was among the 25 milk samples.

Microplastics were found in eighteen of the samples, which included at least one of each category.

Five of the eight samples of pork and seven of the eight samples of beef both had contaminants.

The study noted that it is still uncertain whether there are any probable toxicological concerns associated with these findings. Other nations have not yet examined farm animals or meat, although in 2021, microplastics were found in farm milk in France and bought milk in Switzerland.

According to Maria Westerbos of the Plastic Soup Foundation, which funded the study and commissioned it, it is not surprising that the majority of the meat and dairy products examined included microplastics given that these tiny particles are found in livestock feed.

She argued that eliminating plastic from animal feed would preserve both human and animal health.

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla