Microplastics found in 90 percent of sea salt, study says
8 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year. Researchers now suggest that microplastics, which have infiltrated the world's oceans and its organisms, appear to have infiltrated our insides as well.
A new study found more than 90 percent of sea salt sold across the world contains microplastics.
Sea salt is produced through evaporation of ocean water or water from saltwater lakes, usually with little processing. Depending on where the water is taken from could mean there are microplastics that don't get filtered out.
Microplastic contamination of the oceans is one of the world's most pressing environmental concerns.
Only 9 percent of plastic waste worldwide is being recycled, so that leaves a lot to be wasted. Eight million tons of plastic ends up in oceans annually, and 80 percent of all ocean pollution comes from humans.
In this June 4, 2018, photo, a man collects plastic and other recyclable material from the shores of the Arabian Sea, littered with plastic bags and other garbage, in Mumbai, India. The theme for this year's World Environment Day, marked on June 5, is "Beat Plastic Pollution." (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
The recent study shows the global pattern of microplastics in commercial food-grade salts. The results indicate that not only is Asia a hot spot of global plastic pollution, as previous studies have suggested, but also that sea salt can be a good indicator of the magnitude of microplastic pollution in the surrounding marine environment.
Researches analyzed 39 salt brands from 21 countries, including the U.S. and China.
"The findings suggest that human ingestion of microplastics via marine products is strongly related to plastic emissions in a given region," Professor Seung-Kyu Kim, an author of the study in the science journal, said in a statement.
According to UN News, "as many as 51 trillion microplastic particles—500 times more than stars in our galaxy—litter our seas, seriously threatening marine wildlife."
“Recent studies have found plastics in seafood, wildlife, tap water and now in salt. It’s clear that there is no escape from this plastics crisis, especially as it continues to leak into our waterways and oceans," Kim said.
According to another study, fish and other marine animals ingest microplastics, sometimes through the food chain. Kim said plastic pollution needs to be stopped at its source.
"It's clear that there is no escape from this plastics crisis, especially as it continues to leak into our waterways and oceans," Kim said.
"For the health of people and our environment, it’s incredibly important that corporations reduce their reliance on throwaway plastics immediately," Kim said.
Greenpeace and the Break Free From Plastic movement along with 10,000 volunteers embarked on the world’s most ambitious plastic cleanup and brand audit project yet. Nine months, six continents, 239 cleanup events and more than 187,000 pieces of trash later, they created the most comprehensive snapshot to date of how corporations are contributing to the global plastic pollution problem.
The most commonly found brands were Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone, Mondelez International, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and many more.
"In order to limit our exposure to microplastics, preventative measures are required, such as controlling the environmental discharge of mismanaged plastics and more importantly, reducing plastic waste," Kim said.
There are solutions that can help to reduce this issue, such as recycling, using less plastic and developing better waste management systems.
Individual actions can have a major impact on reducing the problem, according to experts. You can try reusable straws instead of plastic ones, reusable bags, reusable containers for storing food and be conscious of what you buy and the amount of plastic packaging.
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