Chewing gum found to release microplastics into saliva, researchers say
Chewing gum may not be as harmless as once thought. A new pilot study presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in San Diego has revealed that chewing just one piece of gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastic particles into saliva.
Researchers at the University Of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) conducted the study to better understand everyday sources of microplastic exposure. “Our goal is not to alarm anybody,” said Dr. Sanjay Mohanty, associate professor at UCLA’s Samueli School Of Engineering and senior author of the study. “We know people are already exposed to plastics in daily life, and chewing gum is unique because it is one of the only foods where plastic polymer is used as an ingredient.”
What the study found
The researchers analyzed 10 popular chewing gum brands sold in the United States, including both synthetic and natural varieties. Key findings include:
- Average microplastic release: 1 gram of gum released about 100 microplastic particles on average, with some samples releasing up to 637.
- Time matters: 94% of the microplastics were released within the first eight minutes of chewing.
- Natural vs synthetic gum: Surprisingly, natural gum performed nearly the same as synthetic gum, releasing 96 microplastics per gram compared to 104 in synthetic gum.
- Types of plastics: The gum released common synthetic polymers such as polyolefins, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylamides and polystyrenes — plastics also found in packaging and other consumer products.
Health and safety questions remain
Microplastics are small fragments of plastic measuring less than 5 millimeters. They have been found in human blood, lungs, placenta and even the brain, but scientists are still studying their long-term health effects.
Experts say that although this study provides a robust starting point, more research is needed to determine if ingesting gum microplastics poses a risk to human health. “If we subject any type of plastic to stress — heat, friction, sunlight or vigorous chewing — we know that microplastics will be released,” said Dr. David Jones, a teaching fellow at the University Of Portsmouth, who was not involved in the study.
The National Confectioners Association, which represents gum manufacturers, responded by saying that gum is safe to enjoy and that companies use only FDA-approved ingredients.
Why this matters
While gum has been consumed safely for more than a century, the study highlights how even everyday habits can add to the growing global concern over plastic exposure. Beyond health implications, discarded gum can also contribute to plastic pollution in the environment.
Researchers call for more transparency in gum manufacturing and further studies to determine whether microplastics in gum could have long-term health effects.
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