Chewing gum isn’t essentially the healthiest of habits, nevertheless it definitely appeared like a comparatively innocent vice… till now. A brand new examine reveals that only one piece of chewing gum can shed hundreds of microplastics into your saliva¹.

At this level, it could be simpler to make an inventory of locations microplastics aren’t. Scientists have discovered these tiny particles of plastic all over the place from oceans to ice caps², within the leaves of vegetation and the air we breathe, and naturally, in our our bodies. Microplastics have been detected in amniotic fluid³, blood⁴, and even in our brains. 

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Whereas some sources of microplastic contamination are apparent, like plastic bottles and packaging, scientists have additionally discovered that one thing so simple as the teabag in your morning cuppa may improve your publicity. And now, we will add chewing gum to the record of peculiar sources of microplastics.

New Analysis Reveals Chewing Gum is Riddled with Plastic

Researchers from the UCLA Samueli College of Engineering lately examined 10 in style manufacturers of chewing gum, discovering {that a} single gram may launch a median of 100 microplastics into the chewer’s saliva. Bigger items of gum have been discovered to launch as much as 3,000 plastic particles — 94% of which have been launched in the course of the first eight minutes of chewing.

Whereas these outcomes sound fairly stunning, they’re no shock should you truly take into account what goes into this seemingly innocent deal with: a less-than-innocent ingredient known as polyethylene.

What Is Polyethylene?

Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer that’s identified for its versatility. It’s gentle, low-cost to supply, and has some critically useful qualities — it’s immune to chemical compounds and moisture, and has electrical insulation properties. 

Producers make nice use of this versatility, benefiting from it in the whole lot from purchasing baggage to bottles of detergent and vehicle gas tanks. It’s additionally utilized in Ziploc baggage, which a proposed class-action lawsuit is at the moment alleging shouldn’t be microwaved or frozen because of the attainable launch of microplastics. The truth is, it’s probably the most extensively used plastic on the planet⁵. However what enterprise does it have in our chewing gum?

Sadly, most gum manufacturers depend on polyethylene to assist contribute to the product’s chewy texture. And it’s not simply artificial gum we should be frightened about — all-natural manufacturers are responsible of releasing plastic, too. The UCLA researchers examined each artificial and pure chewing gums, discovering {that a} related variety of plastic particles have been launched no matter the kind of gum.

Different potential plastics in chewing gum embody polyvinyl acetate, which is a standard ingredient in glue and mascara, or styrene-butadiene rubber, which you’ll discover in tires. (Scrumptious, no?)

The pervasiveness of microplastics is worrisome for extra causes than one. Plastics are made with a mixture of polymers and chemical components, a few of which may have devastating results on the setting and our planet’s delicate ecosystems⁶. Microplastics are additionally hazardous to human well being, with potential unfavourable results on respiratory perform and hormone well being. Microplastic publicity may even improve the danger of creating most cancers, in accordance with a 2023 analysis assessment in Yonsei Medical Journal⁷.

Whereas microplastics are arduous to keep away from today, there are nonetheless sure steps shoppers can take to cut back publicity as a lot as attainable (spoiler: microplastics in gum most likely aren’t the worst offender). Decreasing reliance on plastic storage containers and utensils is one nice technique to maintain from including extra plastic into your life, and so is chopping again on the whole lot from plastic water bottles to PTFE nonstick cookware.

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Sources:

1. https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/bursting-your-bubble-chewing-gum-releases-microplastics-into-your-saliva-ucla-research-shows
2. https://www.innovations-report.com/agriculture-environment/ecology-the-environment-and-conservation/microplastics-found-in-europes-largest-ice-cap/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38382607/
4. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-81931-9
5. https://www.britannica.com/science/polyethylene
6. https://ipen.org/website/plastics-toxic-additives 
7. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10151227/ 

Tags: chewing gum gum microplastic contamination microplastics polyethylene