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Microplastics are in your gum
Plastic is everywhere. It’s within the issues we use each day—chopping boards, clothes, cleansing sponges—and now, it appears, it’s even within the gum we chew. As the presence of microplastics in our surroundings grows, researchers are beginning to examine the potential impression of plastic particles on our well being. In a pilot research, researchers revealed that chewing gum—each pure and artificial—can launch tons of to 1000’s of microplastics into saliva, which might finally be ingested. But what does this imply for us, and the way did we get right here?
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles, usually lower than 5 millimeters in diameter, that may enter the physique by ingestion or inhalation. These particles are present in quite a few on a regular basis merchandise, from tooth aligners, to toothbrushes and toothpaste to tampons, sleep retainers, and even implants. Recent analysis means that these microplastics might have opposed results on human well being, however the science continues to be in its early levels.
In 2025, a pilot research on chewing gum offered on the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring Meeting unveiled troubling findings. Researchers found that each pure and artificial chewing gum launched microplastics into saliva, doubtlessly contributing to the rising ingestion of microplastics by people.
“Our aim is to not alarm anyone,” says Sanjay Mohanty, principal investigator and UCLA engineering professor. “Scientists don’t know if microplastics are unsafe to us or not. There aren’t any human trials. But we all know we’re uncovered to plastics in on a regular basis life, and that’s what we needed to look at right here.”
While animal research and research with human cells recommend microplastics might trigger hurt, definitive solutions on their impression on human well being stay elusive. However, this research raises an necessary query: if we’re unknowingly ingesting microplastics from merchandise like gum, what are the cumulative results on our our bodies?
The quantity of microplastics in chewing gum could seem small at first, however think about the numbers: a median individual chews 160 to 180 items of gum per 12 months. With every bit doubtlessly releasing as much as 3,000 microplastic particles, this might result in the ingestion of tens of 1000’s of plastic particles every year. While the complete well being implications are nonetheless unknown, decreasing publicity to microplastics is one thing specialists agree is necessary.
The Rise of Plastic Gum: A Transition from Natural to Synthetic
“Our preliminary speculation was that the artificial gums would have much more microplastics as a result of the bottom is a kind of plastic,” says Lowe, who began the undertaking as an undergraduate intern at UCLA and the presenter of this analysis. The researchers examined 5 manufacturers of artificial gum and 5 manufacturers of pure gum, all of that are commercially obtainable.
Mohanty says they needed to cut back the human issue of various chewing patterns and saliva, so that they had seven items from every model all chewed by one individual. In the lab, the individual chewed the piece of gum for 4 minutes, producing samples of saliva each 30 seconds, then a last mouth rinse with clear water, all of which bought mixed right into a single pattern.
In one other experiment, saliva samples had been collected periodically over 20 minutes to take a look at the discharge charge of microplastics from every bit of gum. Then, the researchers measured the variety of microplastics current in every saliva pattern. Plastic particles had been both stained pink and counted below a microscope or analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, which additionally supplied the polymer composition.
Lowe measured a median of 100 microplastics launched per gram of gum, although some particular person gum items launched as many as 600 microplastics per gram. A typical piece of gum weighs between 2 and 6 grams, that means a big piece of gum might launch as much as 3,000 plastic particles.
If the common individual chews 160 to 180 small sticks of gum per 12 months, the researchers estimated that would outcome within the ingestion of round 30,000 microplastics. If the common individual consumes tens of 1000’s of microplastics per 12 months, gum chewing might drastically enhance the ingested quantity.
“Surprisingly, each artificial and pure gums had related quantities of microplastics launched after we chewed them,” says Lowe. And in addition they contained the identical polymers: polyolefins, polyethylene terephthalates, polyacrylamides and polystyrenes. The most ample polymers for each varieties of gum had been polyolefins, a gaggle of plastics that features polyethylene and polypropylene.
The historical past of gum
To perceive the shift to plastic in chewing gum, we have to take a step again in historical past. Chewing gum, as soon as constituted of pure tree sap, has an extended historical past. Indigenous cultures in North America chewed sap from bushes just like the spruce, and the Mayans chewed a substance referred to as chicle, derived from the sap of the sapodilla tree, as early because the nineteenth century. Chicle was prized for its chewiness, and for a few years, it served as the bottom for gum merchandise.
The twentieth century, nonetheless, led to a shift. The growth of artificial rubber throughout World War II led to the alternative of pure tree sap with petroleum-based supplies. In 1928, the Wrigley Company started utilizing artificial gum bases, that are constituted of plastic compounds similar to polyolefins, polyethylene, and polypropylene. These supplies, whereas cheaper and extra simply mass-produced, will not be biodegradable, not like the pure components utilized in conventional gum.
The transition to plastic gum base was largely pushed by comfort, cost-effectiveness, and the power to make longer-lasting merchandise. However, the shift from pure to artificial has raised questions concerning the potential well being dangers of long-term publicity to microplastics. “We had been transitioning to a world of comfort,” says Dr. Jessica Lee, an environmental scientist on the University of Colorado. “But that comfort got here at the price of environmental and well being issues.”
Synthetic gum bases launch microplastics throughout chewing, as discovered within the latest UCLA research, however even pure gum, as soon as thought-about an eco-friendly possibility, releases related plastic particles. These findings elevate considerations about how a lot plastic we’re unknowingly consuming by on a regular basis merchandise like gum.
A Future of Microplastics: What Can We Do?
The research on microplastics in gum is only one instance of the rising presence of plastic in our lives. From dental aligners and toothbrushes to sleep retainers and even microplastics coming out of your tampons, microplastics are more and more being present in merchandise we depend on for each day hygiene and luxury. Research on the consequences of those particles continues to be in its early levels, however scientists are more and more involved about their long-term impression on human well being and the atmosphere.
As we await extra conclusive knowledge, researchers like Mohanty and Lowe urge people to take proactive steps to cut back their publicity to microplastics. “If individuals need to scale back their potential publicity to microplastics from gum,” Lowe suggests, “they’ll chew one piece longer as an alternative of popping in a brand new one.”
Beyond private decisions, this analysis highlights the significance of addressing plastic air pollution on the manufacturing degree. “The plastic launched into saliva is a small fraction of the plastic that’s within the gum,” Mohanty concludes. “So, be conscious concerning the atmosphere and don’t simply throw it exterior or stick it to a gum wall.”
Proper disposal of gum and different plastic merchandise may help scale back their environmental impression, however finally, extra analysis is required to know the complete scope of how microplastics have an effect on our well being.
