Toxics Link revealed a big issue in a recent study released on tuesday.all salt and sugar brands in India contain microplastics. The study, titled “Microplastics in Salt and Sugar,” found that microplastic contamination affects all types of salt and sugar examined, independent of brand or packaging.
The study examined 10 various varieties of salt—table salt, rock salt, sea salt, and local raw salt—as well as five different types of sugar obtained from online and local marketplaces. every sample included microplastics in a variety of forms, including fibers, pellets, films, and shards. These microplastics varied in size from 0.1 mm to 5 mm.
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Iodized salt had the highest microplastic concentration, averaging 89.15 pieces per kilogram. The microplastics found in iodized salt were predominantly multicolored threads and films. In comparison, sea salt had an average of 50.25 pieces per kilogram, but local raw salt had a lower concentration of 32.45 pieces. Organic rock salt contained the fewest microplastics, 6.70 bits per kilogram.
Non-organic sugar had the highest contamination rate, with 68.25 microplastic bits per kilogram. Organic sugar, albeit less polluted, contains 11.85 fragments per kilogram. The study also discovered that refined white sugar had an average of 45.30 pieces per kilogram, whereas brown sugar had 38.75 pieces.
Ravi Agarwal, creator and director of Toxics Link, emphasized the importance of these discoveries. “Our study provides crucial data on the extent of microplastic contamination in commonly consumed food products,” he told CNN. “As international policies and treaties are being developed to combat plastic pollution, this data is vital for informed decision-making.”
Satish Sinha, associate director of Toxics Link, stressed the need of tackling this matter. “The extensive occurrence of microplastics in salt and sugar is quite worrying. It underlines the critical need for additional research into the health effects of microplastics, as well as the creation of ways to reduce their prevalence in our food supply,” Sinha remarked.
Microplastics are rapidly being recognized as having the potential to affect both human health and the environment. These microscopic particles can enter the body via food, water, or air. Recent research has found microplastics in a variety of human organs, including the lungs and heart, as well as breast milk and fetal tissue.
Toxics Link’s research highlights an urgent issue and the need for comprehensive effort to deal with microplastic contamination in our food chain.
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