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نوع مقاله : مقالات مروری روایی و یکپارچه

نویسندگان

1 دانشجوی دکتری، کمیته تحقیقات دانشجویی، گروه مهندسی بهداشت محیط ، دانشکده بهداشت، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی مشهد، مشهد، ایران

2 دانشیار، گروه مهندسی بهداشت محیط ، دانشکده بهداشت، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی مشهد، مشهد، ایران

10.22038/jreh.2026.27522

چکیده

زمینه و هدف: میکروپلاستیک‌ها، ذرات پلاستیکی کوچکتر از ۵ میلی‌متر، به یکی از چالش‌های پنهان و مهم در امنیت غذایی تبدیل شده‌اند. این ذرات می‌توانند از طریق نمک، آب آشامیدنی، غذاهای فرآوری‌شده، محصولات کشاورزی و آبزیان وارد زنجیره‌ی غذایی انسان شوند و علاوه بر اثرات فیزیکی، آلاینده‌هایی مانند فلزات سنگین، ترکیبات آلی پایدار و باقی‌مانده‌های دارویی را نیز منتقل کنند. مصرف طولانی‌مدت این مواد می‌تواند پیامدهایی مانند اختلالات متابولیک، التهاب‌های مزمن و آسیب‌های کبدی و کلیوی ایجاد کند. 

مواد و روش ها: این مطالعه بر اساس رویکرد تحلیلی و مروری بر شواهد علمی بین‌المللی و ملی طراحی شد. داده‌ها از مقالات ISI  و گزارشات FAO  جمع‌آوری شد و مسیرهای ورود میکروپلاستیک‌ها به مواد غذایی و اثرات آن‌ها بر سلامت انسان تحلیل گردید. 

یافته ها: یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهند نمک، غذاهای دریایی، محصولات لبنی و نوشیدنی‌ها از اصلی‌ترین منابع مواجهه با میکروپلاستیک‌ها با غلظت‌هایی تا بیش از ۱۳ هزار قطعه در کیلوگرم در نمک و ۵۸۵ میکروپلاستیک در هر گرم شیرخشک در نمونه‌های ایرانی هستند.

نتیجه گیری: بر اساس این یافته‌ها، توصیه‌های سیاستی شامل کنترل و استانداردسازی بسته‌بندی و تجهیزات تولید، تدوین استانداردهای ملی برای حد مجاز میکروپلاستیک‌ها، پایش مستمر زنجیره‌ی‌ی غذایی، آموزش مصرف‌کنندگان و تشویق به محصولات محلی و ارگانیک است. اجرای این سیاست‌ها می‌تواند مواجهه انسانی با میکروپلاستیک‌ها را کاهش دهد، آگاهی عمومی را افزایش دهد و امنیت غذایی و سلامت جمعیت را تضمین کند.

کلیدواژه‌ها

عنوان مقاله [English]

Policy Brief: Microplastics and Food Security-A Threat beyond Environmental Pollution

نویسندگان [English]

  • Afsaneh Esmaeili Nasrabadi 1
  • Ziaeddin Bonyadi 2

1 Ph.D. Student, Student Research Committee, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

چکیده [English]

Background and Objective: Microplastics, defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, have emerged as a concealed yet significant challenge to food security. These particles can enter the human food chain through salt, drinking water, processed foods, agricultural products, and aquatic organisms. Beyond their physical presence, microplastics may act as carriers of hazardous contaminants, including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and pharmaceutical residues. Long-term exposure has been associated with potential adverse health outcomes such as metabolic disturbances, chronic inflammation, and hepatic and renal impairment. 

Materials and Methods: This study was designed using an analytical and narrative review approach based on national and international scientific evidence. Data were collected from ISI-indexed publications and reports issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Pathways of microplastic entry into food products and their implications for human health were systematically examined.

Results: The findings indicate that salt, seafood, dairy products, and beverages represent major sources of dietary exposure to microplastics. Reported concentrations reach more than 13,000 particles per kilogram in salt and up to 585 microplastic particles per gram in powdered milk samples analyzed in Iran.

Conclusion: Based on these findings, key policy recommendations include stricter control and standardization of food packaging and processing equipment, establishment of national regulatory limits for microplastic contamination, continuous monitoring of the food supply chain, consumer education initiatives, and promotion of local and organic products. Implementation of these measures could substantially reduce human exposure, enhance public awareness, and strengthen food safety and population health protection.
 
Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

  • Microplastics
  • Food Chain
  • Food
  • Policy Recommendations
  • Environment
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