Why carrying your own cup while travelling can protect you from microplastics
advertisement'A hot beverage left in a paper cup for just 15 minutes can release up to 25,000 microplastic particles.' She credited this information to a study from IIT Kharagpur.
PAPER CUPS ARE NOT JUST PAPERThough called "paper" cups, these disposable containers are usually lined with a thin layer of plastic — typically polyethylene — to hold the liquid. When hot drinks are poured into them, this lining begins to break down.In a 2021 study, researchers from IIT Kharagpur, including Dr. Sudha Goel and research scholars Ved Prakash Ranjan and Anuja Joseph, discovered that within 15 minutes of contact with hot liquid (85–90 degrees Celsius), the cup releases around 25,000 microplastic particles into just 100 ml of drink.So if you're drinking three cups of tea or coffee a day in these cups, you could be swallowing up to 75,000 microplastic particles daily without even noticing.WHERE DO THESE PARTICLES GO?Once consumed, microplastics can enter our bloodstream and travel through the body. Over time, they may accumulate in vital organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, and even in the placenta of pregnant women, according to small-scale lab studies.'These microplastics can act as carriers for other toxic substances like heavy metals and organic compounds,' said Dr. Goel. This could increase the health risks further, she explained.WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS?Though long-term research is still ongoing, scientists are already warning about the potential dangers. Microplastics and the chemicals used in plastics like bisphenols, phthalates, and dioxins, are linked to a range of serious health concerns. These include:Hormonal imbalancesReproductive issuesGrowth problems in childrenObesityCancerNeurological disordersImmune system damageIn 2024, a study from Columbia University also found that single-use plastic bottles can release over 2,40,000 nanoplastic fragments, which are even smaller than microplastics and possibly more dangerous. These particles can pass through cell walls, reach the brain, and even the unborn fetus.WHAT CAN YOU DO?Experts say one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce your exposure is by carrying your own reusable steel or glass cup, especially when drinking hot liquids. Not only is it better for your health, but it's also a more sustainable choice for the environment.Your daily cup of chai doesn't have to come with a dose of plastic. A simple switch can help you stay healthier, one sip at a time.- EndsTrending Reel
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Can breastfeeding lead to infections? Gynaecologist shares symptoms, prevention tips for new moms
Mastitis is an inflammatory condition of the breast that can sometimes lead to infection. It can develop during breastfeeding, when the milk is not produced enough or drained properly. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Sharmila Solanki, consultant, gynaecology and obstetrics, Manipal Hospital, Gurugram, said, 'Mastitis can cause a blocked milk duct, swelling, and pain, and in some cases, lead to infection or even an abscess if left untreated.' Also read | Does breastfeeding delay periods? Doctor explains the truth about fertility during lactation Mastitis is an inflammatory condition of the breast.(Pexels) Mastitis: Early warning signs to know 'Look out for a hard, swollen, red patch on the breast, fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius, chills, or flu-like symptoms. Mastitis can start as an inflammation without an infection, but if it isn't treated, it can turn into infectious mastitis and even an abscess,' the gynaecologist explained. Tips to prevent mastitis in new mothers: Mastitis can be prevented. Dr Sharmila Solanki shared five prevention tips for new mothers to follow: 1. Keep milk flowing and don't stop feeding The main cause of mastitis is milk stasis, which happens when milk isn't flowing freely. The best way to prevent it is to keep milk moving. Feed your baby often, starting on the side that feels uncomfortable or firm. If the breast still feels full afterwards, use hand massage or a breast pump. Gently massaging the firm or sore spot toward the nipple while feeding can also help clear any blockages. If you develop mastitis, it's safe to continue breastfeeding from the affected breast; there's no risk to the baby. Sometimes, babies may refuse the inflamed breast due to a change in taste, which can become saltier or reduced milk flow. In that situation, keep your breasts drained by pumping or hand-pressing milk, as stopping abruptly could result in a painful abscess. 2. Maintain proper hygiene Staphylococcus aureus is one of the bacteria that can cause mastitis. Keep yourself clean, wash your hands before feeding or pumping, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations to properly clean each component of your breast pump. Maintaining good cleanliness lowers the likelihood that bacteria will infiltrate breast tissue. Milk stasis can lead to mastitis.(Freepik) 3. Try a lymphatic massage A light lymphatic massage can help move fluids to the lymph nodes under the arms. Gently stroke the area from the areola to the armpit. This can help reduce swelling and speed up healing if inflammation starts. Also read | Does breastfeeding help mothers lose postpartum weight or is it a common myth? Lactation specialist reveals 4. Use warm and cold compressors To promote milk flow, use a warm compress or have a warm shower prior to nursing or pumping. Use a cold compress to reduce pain and swelling after feeding. 5. Rest, hydrate, and eat well Your body needs strength to fight inflammation and heal. To help your body heal and keep making milk, you should rest as much as you can, drink lots of water, and eat a balanced diet that includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Iron nanoparticles can help treat contaminated water – our team of scientists created them out of expired supplements
Today, approximately 1,800,000 acres of land in the United States is used for landfill waste disposal. In terms of volume, the U.S alone generated over 290 million tons of solid waste in 2018, an amount equivalent to about 235,000 Olympic-size swimming pools, assuming an average solid waste density of a half ton per cubic meter. Roughly 9% – about 26 million tons – of this waste is made up of iron and steel. These are resources with a stable market value used in various civil infrastructure projects. As a team of environmental engineers, we wanted to know whether we could use iron-rich waste to produce iron oxide nanoparticles – a useful tool for combating water pollution and building engineering hardware. All about nanoparticles Iron oxide nanoparticles consist of iron and oxygen atoms and, because of their size, they exhibit unique physical and chemical properties. They are extremely small, typically at the nanoscale – one-billionth of a meter – in diameter. The iron oxide nanoparticles we synthesized were a distinctive group called magnetite and maghemite. Initial studies have shown that nanoparticles in this group could help drugs get to the right part of the body, make batteries in electric vehicles more efficient and improve sensors for detecting toxic gas, as well as sound and motion. Because these nanoparticles are made of iron, they're both magnetic and stable. Their tiny size gives them a large surface area relative to their volume, allowing them to grab pollutants in water. Additionally, their magnetic nature makes them ideal for building extremely small and thin electrical components. In our work, we wanted to find a new way to produce them using waste materials. In our newest study, published in the RSC Sustainability journal, we developed an eco-friendly method to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles from expired over-the-counter iron supplements. This approach not only gives value to discarded products but also supports a more sustainable and circular method of production. The research process To conduct our study, we used a method called hydrothermal carbonization to produce these magnetic nanoparticles. We were able to source a large amount of expired iron supplements from a local health care center. The hydrothermal carbonization process uses a turbocharged version of the kind of pressure cooker you might have in your kitchen. For our recipe, we combined 20 grams each of expired iron supplements and water in a specialized pressure reactor. We then cooked the mixture at 527 degrees Fahrenheit (275 degrees Celsius) for six to 12 hours. Under this intense temperature and pressure, the supplements broke down, which produced tiny – 10- to 11-nanometer – particles. The end product included a solid charcoal-like material called hydrochar, which made up about 20% to 22% of the product. The hydrochar consisted of the iron oxide nanoparticles and graphite, a carbon-rich material that gave the hydrochar its charcoal-like look. The rest became gas and a dark, tarlike liquid separate from the hydrochar. Hydrothermal carbonization is not the only method used to make iron oxide nanoparticles. There are other conventional methods such as coprecipitation, which involves mixing chemicals to form solids. Another method is pyrolysis, where materials are heated in the absence of oxygen. And finally, gasification, which heats materials in the presence of oxygen. These methods usually require a higher energy input, around 1,292 to 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit (700 to 1,000 C), or harsh salt chemicals. In contrast, hydrothermal carbonization, the method we used, is water-based and can happen at a low temperature. We compared our hydrothermal carbonization process's energy use with other methods and found it had the lowest environmental impact. From polluted water to clean The iron oxide nanoparticles we created are very useful for water treatment. They are particularly good at removing oil and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, zinc and chromium from water. These are pollutants known to cause serious health issues, including cancer. You can either mix them with polluted water or allow the water to pass through them, similar to a common household filter. To test their performance, we mixed our iron oxide nanoparticles in wastewater samples containing methylene blue dye, a common pollutant in textile and manufacturing wastewater. We found they removed over 95% of the dye, and because the particles are magnetic, we could remove them from the treated water using a magnet so they didn't contaminate the water. Depending on the type of pollutants in the water, iron oxide nanoparticles can sometimes be reused after they're heated again. Moving forward We produced a small amount of these nanoparticles in the lab for this study. However, large quantities of iron waste are sent to landfills. These include materials such as steel sludge and metal scraps. So in theory, many more of these nanoparticles could be produced in the future. If produced in large enough quantities, large water and wastewater plant filtration systems could use these particles to treat much larger amounts of water. But landfill waste isn't all one type of waste. Iron-rich waste may be contaminated with other materials, making its sourcing, sorting and recycling both resource-intensive and costly. To scale up this technology sustainably, researchers will need to first overcome these challenges. On the bright side, economists predict that alternative metals, including iron oxide nanoparticles, may help meet production demands for future technologies and artificial intelligence. These nanoparticles can be used to manufacture high-performance computing components. These components include magnetic memory storage and semiconductors found in our everyday technologies. Lots of the critical metals currently used are expensive, scarce or geopolitically sensitive: cobalt, nickel and lithium. As a result, our team is starting to explore how this hydrothermal carbonization-based method can be scaled and applied to other types of waste materials. Our long-term goal is to expand the tool kit for sustainable nanoparticle production while continuing to address both environmental challenges and materials demands for future innovations. (Ahmed Ibrahim Yunus is Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. Joe Frank Bozeman III is assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology) (This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here:
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
IIT Kharagpur, IIST exploring collaboration in medical technology
The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) and the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) are exploring the possibility of collaborating in the area of medical technology for space-related applications, IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty said here on Sunday (August 10, 2025). The IIST's work in mission-class hardware design, start-up incubation and strategic collaborations position India not just as a participant, but as a leader in global space innovation, Prof. Chakraborty said, delivering the convocation address at the 13th convocation of IIST held at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiyamala. Recent achievements of the IIST students have been admirable, he said. 'The IIST is the crucible of India's space leadership, a place where dreams take the form of rockets, satellites and future-ready solutions,' he said. Space, Prof. Chakraborty said, is no longer the domain of a few, but the shared ambition of the entire planet. Yet, India has a unique advantage, he said. 'We know how to do more with less. We innovate not just for prestige, but for people. Space technology today is not an isolated vertical. It is a grand convergence, a meeting point of artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, climate science, philosophy, medicine and even law,' he said. Referring to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan 3 mission as a sparkling example of interdisciplinary excellence, Prof. Chakraborty urged the IIST students to envision 'movements' that make India a hub for responsible, inclusive space innovations, and policies that enable fair access to space resources. M. Mohan, Director, LPSC, said after the recent success of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, ISRO is embarking on the development of complex systems for major missions. Among these, he listed the next-generation launch vehicle, Bharatiya Antriksh Station, Chandrayaan-4 sample return mission, Gaganyaan and Venus mission, which call for advanced manufacturing technologies for mass production of the systems. IIST Chancellor B.N. Suresh underscored the importance of self-reliance, stating that imports need to be reduced in strategic areas that were key enablers of national security. ISRO Chairperson V. Narayanan addressed the students in virtual mode. IIST Director Dipankar Banerjee presented a report on the academic activities. At the convocation, a total of 309 degrees were awarded, which included 124 BTech degrees, 17 BTech + MTech/MS dual degrees, 130 MTech and MS postgraduate degrees and 38 PhDs.
