Microplastics are Everywhere
And my new 3D printing obsession
Happy Happy Friday, everyone! In this installment of the Five Minute Friday Newsletter, let’s talk about a new Consumer Reports study that seemingly found microplastics absolutely everywhere, a return to form with next weeks podcast interview, and more.
Microplastics and Phthalates
A recent video on TikTok has gone viral and claims that Fairlife milk was found to have extremely high levels of microplastics and phthalates. To get to the bottom of this, I poured a tall glass of Fairlife Chocolate milk and did some digging.
First thing first, let’s cover some terms. Phthalates are not microplastics but they can be found in microplastics. Phthalates are chemicals that are typically used to soften plastics. They are also used in things like cosmetics, medicine coatings, and you can even find them in plastic shower curtains. BPA is an example of a phthalate that’s been recently regulated. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that typically breakoff from larger plastic items. Think of it as a rock chipping off of a boulder, but on a much, much smaller scale.
Second, the report doesn’t mention microplastic, instead it is studying the amount of phthalates found in each item. It reports in nanograms, or one-billionth of a gram.
Check out the full article from Consumer Reports here.
Ok, with all that out of the way, Fairlife was NOT the only thing tested that had high levels of phthalates. Other items that had higher levels were the Chipotle Chicken burrito (the phthalates coming from the foil wrap), Wendy’s chicken nuggets (the phthalates coming from the cardboard container), and of course, Fairlife Core Power with the phthalates coming from the plastic bottle. Fairlife came in at 20,452 nanograms. Which was pretty high in the report. The highest item reported was in fact the Wendy’s nuggets, at 33,980 nanograms.
That’s a lot of phthalates. It seems that a lot of consumers are learning about phthalates and just how prevalent they and microplastics are in our daily life. And the big issue here is that some study’s suggest that exposure to these items can cause fertility issues, diabetes, high blood pressure, and more. I tried to do some digging on long term studies but it seems that researchers are still trying to get to the bottom of this.
What do you think? Should we be worrying about microplastics and phthalates? Is this something you pay attention? Let me know!
I also talked about this at length in todays podcast episode. Check it out here!
Upcoming Episodes
As it turns out, podcasting is just like riding a bike! You never forget (but you do get a little rusty at asking questions). So far I’ve recorded two interviews, one with Don Quincey from Quincey Cattle Co in Chiefland, Florida and another with Farmer Lee Jones with the Chef’s Garden. Farmer Lee’s episode will go out next week and BOY did he have the absolute COOLEST interview set up I have ever seen. You’ll just have to wait until next week to listen to the interview and see his set up over on our YouTube channel where I’ll post the video interview. Farmer Lee is an incredible story teller and shared why he thinks we should eat produce based on the season and why its so incredibly important to support your local farmers. Stay tunned next week as we are back to our regularly scheduled content!
Totally Random Stuff
Not Farm Traveler related at all, but lately I’ve been having so much fun 3D printing. A few months ago I started printing a Star Wars Clone Trooper helmet and after a loooong while of gluing all the pieces together and sanding a looooot, I’ve finally made some decent progress. Above is what it looks like now (left) and the design I’m going for once I start painting it (right). Next steps are filling in some holes, more sanding, followed by priming and then painting all the details.
3D printing takes a lot of trial and error and honestly it’s been a great exercise in patience.
That does it for this news letter. Thanks again for checking this out and for supporting Farm Traveler. Feel free to reach out here, on social media, or by emailing me at farmtravelerseries@gmail.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the whole microplastics things.
Have a great weekend!
-T
If you are interested in starting a podcast, see my new Podcast Coaching offering!
Did you like this installment? If so, leave a comment and let me know what you think about Clarkson’s Farm or what you’d like to see me cover next!