Researchers have discovered yet another potential contributor to the increase in microplastics found in our bodies: gum. According to the pilot study presented in American Chemical Society Spring ConferenceA single portion of chewing gum is obliged to release hundreds of polymer particles into the mouth. And while some of them can be ingested by biting, improper throwing your gums can also increase the microplastics problem of the environment.
Previously estimated humans ate tens of thousands of microplastic particles in the 1 micrometer and 5 millimeter range each year. Much of it comes from plastic packaging and coatings, as well as the very few polymers rubbed on food and drinks. But one gum stick may be small, but the average gum consumer Biting 160-180 sticks a year. Recently, a team led by Sanjay Mohanty, professor of engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), wondered how much microplastics come from habits.
To first understand this situation, they asked a single volunteer to test out 10 brands of commercial gums. Five brands with synthetic additives and five natural ingredients. Future studies could potentially employ more participants, but researchers focused on one person and limited chewing patterns and saliva variations.
The volunteers then began chewing. a lot.
Seven pieces of each gum brand were devoured by participants in a row for four consecutive minutes at time. The researchers then collected saliva samples every 30 seconds, and samples collected after rinsing their mouths with clean water. All of these were combined into all the larger samples. In the second round, the person produced saliva samples at various intervals over 20 minutes to see if a single stick of each gum contained microplastics. From there, microplastics were counted after red staining them and analyzed for composition using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
“Our first hypothesis was that synthetic gums have more microplastics because the base is a type of plastic,” says Lisa Rowe, a joint cooperative student of the study and a graduate student at Mohanty’s lab. It is explained in the statement. (Yes, certain types of synthetic gums contain petroleum-based polymers.)
But if you think switching to an all-natural brand is better for you, think about it again.
“Amazingly, both synthetic gum and natural gums were similar in how much microplastic was released when they chewed,” added Lou.
Most of the gum in the study dripped most of the microplastics in the first few minutes of chewing. But while saliva collects a lot of it, the team has discovered that it is actually your teeth that are primarily responsible for removing particles. Approximately 94% of the plastic counted was reduced by 8 minutes. Knowing this, the wax recommends chewing one gum as long as possible before moving on to the next stick.
The final tally shows that Tuger can expect an average of 100 microplastics per gumgram, but that number can increase up to 600 particles per gram. To further estimate this, 2-6 grams of gum could release 3,000 microplastics. Multiply the average amount of gum chewed each year and you can consider approximately 30,000 microplastics each year. And considering that experts believe people already eat tens of thousands of particles each year, this means that regular gum tudors can receive a large influx of unwanted polymers thanks to their favorite brands.
Unfortunately, the total amount of microplastics from gum can be much larger. Given the available equipment for the team, the count is limited to particles of at least 20 micrometers, and many microplastics are much smaller than that.
“Our goal is not to be wary of anyone,” Mohanty said. “But we know that we are exposed to plastic in our daily lives, and that’s what we want to look into here.”
However, if they were trying to keep chewing, the researchers also took the time to remind everyone to properly dispose of gum that had penetrated properly.
“The plastic released into saliva is just a small portion of the plastic in the gums,” warned Mohanty. “So be careful about the environment and don’t just put it outside or stick it on the wall of your gums.”
