Researchers from the University of Vienna warned that the food could contain rubber particles. The results of the work of scientists, published In the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
According to experts, this is a result of the consumption cycle. Rubber tires wear out, causing the smallest particles to enter the environment: soil and water. Approximately 1 kilogram of clothing is allocated per person per year.
The researchers conducted an experiment: they grew lettuce samples in a hydroponic plant soaked in a solution of five micropollutants. After analyzing the grown samples, the scientists discovered that as the plants absorb the added substances, they can transform them into new chemical compounds unknown to researchers.
Scientists say they do not yet know the toxicity of these metabolites, so the substances pose a health risk that has yet to be evaluated.