Chewing gum is the latest item found to release microplastics into our bodies. A pilot study from the American Chemical Society found that chewing gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics per piece into saliva, which can then be potentially ingested.
It is still unknown what harm microplastics may cause in the human body, but studies in animals and human cells suggest they are harmful. Researchers say they are not trying to alarm people but rather provide information to reduce exposure to microplastics.
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Scientists estimate that people consume tens of thousands of microplastics each year through food, drinks, plastic packaging, coatings, and production processes.
“Our goal is not to alarm anybody,” says Sanjay Mohanty, the project’s principal investigator and an engineering professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). “Scientists don’t know if microplastics are unsafe to us or not. There are no human trials. But we know we are exposed to plastics in everyday life, and that’s what we wanted to examine here.”
Researchers say chewing gums are made from a rubbery base, sweetener, flavorings and other ingredients. Some gums are made of natural ingredients, such as chicle or other tree sap. Synthetic gums are made from petroleum-based polymers.
The study found microplastics in both natural and synthetic gums.
“Surprisingly, both synthetic and natural gums had similar amounts of microplastics released when we chewed them,” says Lisa Lowe, who started the project as an undergraduate intern at UCLA
