Is chewing gum making you sick? Shocking study links gum to microplastic

A recent study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials has uncovered a startling discovery—chewing one piece of gum for an hour can expose a person to over 250,000 microplastic particles. The study reveals a new, yet to be tested, source of plastic pollution and contributes to the growing concerns over the pervasiveness of microplastics in our environment.

Researchers conducted experiments to examine the prevalence of microplastics in saliva after having chewed gum for one hour. The results indicated that a single piece of gum yielded more than 250,000 microplastics in saliva, thereby constituting a significant source of plastic ingestion. While food, water, and air have been noted as the principal sources of ingestion of microplastics in previous research, the current study reveals the role of chewing gum in the body accumulation of the small plastic particles.

Microplastics are plastic pieces smaller than five millimeters in diameter, which are created due to the breakdown of large plastic items. Microplastics also break down into nanoplastics over time, which were also present in the saliva of the participants. Since the nanoplastics are even smaller and can pass through biological tissues, their effect on the health of human beings is an alarming matter of concern.

Health hazards of microplastics

Microplastics and nanoplastics have also been found in other parts of the human body, including the blood, lungs, and even the placenta of pregnant women. Scientists are now increasingly worried about their long-term health impacts because plastic particles can contain embedded toxic chemicals and disrupt biological processes. Studies show that these pollutants can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and even hormonal disruption.

Their influence after being ingested through chewing gum is still unknown, but the fact that microplastics could accumulate in one's system supports the idea of regular gum-eating causing plastics to accumulate inside the human system. Microplastics might potentially disrupt digestion as well as metabolisms, according to some. They might be found to have the potential to also cause chronic illness, according to others.

The need for alternatives

As microplastic pollution becomes more widely known, consumers and industries are looking towards alternatives to conventional chewing gum, that is usually synthesized using polymers.

The more we learn about microplastics, the more this research reminds us to be careful about daily life habits that can lead to plastic consumption. Choosing natural alternatives or limiting gum chewing might be little, but important, measures to limit exposure to microplastics and safeguard long-term health.