Australian study makes alarming discovery about plastic kettles
Even after 150 uses microplastics were still detected seeping into the water.
Australians may be unknowingly sipping on something far more concerning than their hot drinks.
A new study has uncovered a hazard hiding inside a common household item likely sitting on your kitchen bench right now.
Researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered that budget plastic kettles are shedding nano and microplastics into the water, prompting calls for urgent consumer warnings.
“Boiling water in plastic kettles is a daily routine for millions of people worldwide,” Dr Elvis Okoffo told Kidspot.
“Just boiling water in your kettle for your morning tea could release tiny plastic particles into the water we use every day.”
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"Could cause a lot of harm"
During the study, the test examined how many boils were required in a new kettle for it to lower the amount of plastic being released.
“Between the first boil and 50 boils, the level of plastics being released was at the highest level. And then after 50 boils, it reduced drastically,” Dr Okoffo revealed.
Even after 150 uses, plastics were still detected at low levels.
The research uncovered that the first boil of a brand new plastic kettle released almost 12 million nanoparticles per millilitre. That equates to 3 billion particles in an average 250ml cup of tea.
After the 150th boil, there were still 820,000 detected per millilitre.
While there are no established safe limits for consuming plastic nanoparticles, chemicals used to manufacture the product can pose a known health risk; however, understanding the damage microplastics can bring is tricky.
“While health experts are aware of the damage those chemicals can do to our bodies, there have been a lot of studies showing that phthalates and bisphenols could cause a lot of harm to us,” Dr Okoffo explained.
“There’s so much going on now to try and understand the particles themselves … We are not there yet,” he revealed
Scientists are mainly trying to determine if the particles can cross the gut barrier or impact other organs.
It is a frightening thought when you stop to think about what the kettle is used for, and how often. Perhaps one the most alarming ways it is used is making baby formula.
“You’re exposing them to the same, because the particles that are being shared will be in the water, and then if you use that water to prepare your baby formula, if there are particles in it you’re exposing your babies to the particles as well,” he points out.
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"Reduce your exposure"
Dr Okoffo recommends that consumers buying new kettles set themselves up for minimal exposure by boiling and discarding the water, repeating the process as many times as possible.
“If you repeatedly boil and discard for about 50 times as the study showed, then you kind of reduce your level of exposure to the particles,” Dr Okoffo said.
However, boiling and disposing of water is logistically difficult and could become a costly exercise as far as the water bill is concerned.
It’s the equivalent of tipping close to 100 litres of water down the sink. Almost a bathtub’s worth of water.
“It’s hard to tell you to be boiling your kettles 50 times and discarding them, but you know, for safety reasons, for our own health if you can even boil it up to like 10 times, 20 times, something that is doable that should help you reduce your exposure,” he explained.
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Otherwise, looking to invest in a stainless steel or metal kettle is better suited.
Typically, kettles do come with instructions, advising consumers to boil and dispose of the water before use, but that’s often only a few times.
“It does not achieve the same level of removal as repeated circles of boiling and discarding,” he said.
However, for Doctor Okoffo, seeing manufacturers change product design and increase awareness would be ideal.
“Studies like this should inform those labelling [products] that just boiling the first two or three boils wouldn’t achieve the same level of removal as repeated cycles of boiling,” he explained.
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Originally published as Australian study makes alarming discovery about plastic kettles
