Sarah Sajedi, a Concordia business graduate turned PhD researcher, was inspired to study plastic waste after observing pollution beneath the beaches of Thailand’s Phi Phi islands. Her recent paper in the Journal of Hazardous Materials examines the health risks of single-use plastic water bottles, finding that bottled water users consume 90,000 more microplastic particles per year than tap water drinkers. These particles, which range from nanometers to five millimeters in size, can enter the bloodstream and vital organs, potentially causing chronic inflammation, hormonal disruption, reproductive impairment, neurological damage, and various cancers. Despite multiple detection methods available, researchers lack standardized measurements to fully understand the long-term health effects of micro- and nanoplastic ingestion. While Sajedi supports legislative efforts to reduce plastic waste, she emphasizes that education about chronic toxicity risks is crucial, recommending that plastic water bottles be reserved for emergencies rather than daily use.
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