The recent news report about the presence of microplastics in salt and sugar has once again raised eyebrows on how safe is our food? The study, “Microplastics in Salt and Sugar” and conducted by the environmental research organisation Toxics Link, tested 10 types of salt — including table salt, rock salt, sea salt and local raw salt — and five types of sugar purchased from both online and local markets. In the study it is revealed that microplastics are present in all salt and sugar samples, in various forms including fibre, pellets, films and fragments. The size of these microplastics ranged from 0.
1 mm to 5 mm. And, the highest levels of microplastics were found in iodised salt, in the form of multi-coloured thin fibre and films. While this is surely a concern, as per a news report by Forbes, every liter of bottled water contains at least 240,000 microplastic particles.
They’re not just in plastic bottles and containers. They also arise from plastic cutting boards, Teflon cookware, fabrics and beauty products. According to the National Institutes of Health, microplastics are present in everything from the sea salt on our tables to the tap water we drink and even the dust that settles in our homes.
Also Read: Every salt and sugar brand in India has microplastics What are the side effects As per emerging studies, these microplastics may significantly impact human health and act as endocrine disruptors, altering hormonal signaling and potentially leading to weight ga.