If it can’t stand the heat, get it out of the microwave.
That’s the lesson imparted by a recent University of Nebraska–Lincoln study, which found that microwaving a plastic container for even a few minutes can release billions of nanoscopic particles and millions of microscopic ones.
“It is really important to know how many micro- and nanoplastics we are taking in,” said Kazi Albab Hussain, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering.
Local, national and international media have helped amplify Hussain’s message. The Husker research has earned more than 80 media placements to date, highlighted by stories from Wired, The Weather Channel, the Toronto Star, Yahoo! News, MSN.com, and various ABC and NBC broadcast affiliates. While most of that coverage has materialized in English-language outlets, news of the study has also appeared in Italian, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Hungarian, German and Japanese.
The study likewise gained traction on X, formerly known as Twitter, becoming the subject of more than 2,200 tweets and retweets to date.
Microwave heating amplifies microplastic leaching into food 7x more than refrigeration, reveals a study.
This startling finding underscores the potential risks associated with microwaving plastic and highlights the need for further investigation into the impact on human health. pic.twitter.com/rUAuqjE2tA— The Weather Channel India (@weatherindia) August 2, 2023
It’s since hit TikTok, too, with Scripps News adapting its story for the social media platform.
@scrippsnews Before you microwave that plastic container full of food or liquid consider this — a new study found that microwaving certain plastics can release millions of microplastics and billions of nanoplastics. #plastic #food ♬ original sound - Scripps News
Not to be outdone, Redditors created multiple threads dedicated to the findings. Those threads helped drive traffic to Nebraska Today’s own story, which received more than 90,000 views in the three weeks following its publication.
Nebraska Headliners highlights Husker faculty and staff featured in major news outlets. If you see a possible Nebraska Headliner, submit the story or URL via email to nebraskatoday@unl.edu.
