Humans swallow microplastics when chewing gum

Researchers have found that chewing gum releases more microplastic particles into the mouth, making them more likely to be swallowed.

AFP on March 25 cited research from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, USA) saying that chewing gum causes the body to absorb hundreds of microplastic particles. Microplastic particles are smaller than 5 millimeters in size while nanoplastic particles are smaller than 0.001 millimeters.

Chewing gum causes people to swallow more microplastic particles

Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment and human bodies and are believed to pose a health risk.

Research shows that 1 gram of chewing gum emits an average of 100 microplastic particles, but sometimes up to more than 600. Each stick of chewing gum weighs about 1.5 grams.

A person who chews 180 sticks of gum a year could swallow about 30,000 microplastic particles. That’s tiny compared to other ways people can ingest microplastics. For example, other researchers last year estimated that 1 liter of bottled water contains an average of 240,000 microplastic particles.

How much microplastic do we swallow every day?

The purpose of the study is not to alarm people, but to show that microplastic particles can enter the body when people chew gum, said Sanjay Mohanty, the lead researcher of the UCLA study.

He stressed that there is no direct evidence that microplastics are harmful to human health.

Most chewing gums on the market today, called synthetic gums, contain petroleum-based polymers to give them a chewy feel, but packaging does not list what kind of plastic is in the ingredients, his team said.

The researchers tested five brands of synthetic gum and five brands of natural gum, which use plant polymers like resin. “To our surprise, we found microplastics all over both,” said Lisa Lowe, a UCLA doctoral student who worked on the study. The study has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal but has not yet been published. However, it was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego, California.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nghien-cuu-chua-binh-duyet-con-nguoi-nuot-hat-vi-nhua-khi-nhai-keo-cao-su-185250325164027619.htm