Microplastics in infant milk powder*

Microplastics can be found almost everywhere and extensively expose to human. Infants are vulnerable, and the potential risks of microplastics may be greater for infants, however, infants' microplastic exposure is still poorly understood. Since milk powder makes up a significant portion of many infants' diets, we investigated micro-plastic pollution in infant milk powder and calculated the microplastic exposure from milk powder, feeding bottles and milk powder preparation. On one hand, we studied 13 different types of milk powder with different packaging, processing systems, and milk sources. The boxed milk powder (7 +/- 3 items/100 g) was more polluted with microplastics than the canned milk powder (4 +/- 3 items/100 g). The inner packaging of the boxed milk powder was plastic and aluminum foil laminated, it emitted 8 +/- 2 to 17 +/- 1 items/100 g of microplastics, and might be a main source of microplastics in boxed milk powder. On the other hand, we found that when infants consume milk powder, the microplastic exposure from milk powder itself is little, exposure from feeding bottles is 6.8 times higher than that from milk powder and milk powder preparation is 1.7 times higher.

Automated summary

Microplastics are widely present and exposed to humans, especially infants who are particularly vulnerable. However, there is still limited understanding of infants' exposure to microplastics. A study was conducted to investigate microplastic pollution in infant milk powder and evaluate the exposure from milk powder, feeding bottles, and milk powder preparation. The study found that boxed milk powder had higher levels of microplastics compared to canned milk powder, with the plastic and aluminum foil laminated inner packaging being a potential source. Additionally, the study revealed that infants' exposure to microplastics was higher from feeding bottles than from milk powder itself, and milk powder preparation also contributed to exposure.