Microplastics are present in the packets of salt and sugar of every brand sold in the country. Whether these brands are small or big and whether they are packed or unpackaged, microplastics have been found in all. This claim has been made in a study published on Tuesday.
This study named ‘Microplastics in Salt and Sugar’ has been prepared by an environmental research organization named Toxics Link. This organization has presented this study after testing 10 types of salt including table salt, rock salt, sea salt and local raw salt and five types of sugar purchased online and from local markets.
Microplastics found in the form of fibers, pellets and fragments
The study revealed that all the samples of salt and sugar contained different types of microplastics. Such as fibers, pellets, films and fragments. The size of these microplastics was found to be between 0.1 mm to 5 mm. The highest amount of microplastics was found in iodized salt, which were in the form of thin fibers and films of multicolor.
Up to 90 pieces of microplastics in one kg of salt
According to the report, the amount of microplastics per kg was found to be 6.71 to 89.15 pieces in salt samples. Iodised salt had the highest amount of microplastics (89.15 pieces per kg) and organic rock salt had the lowest (6.70 pieces per kg).
In sugar samples, the amount of microplastics ranged from 11.85 to 68.25 pieces per kg, with the highest amount found in non-organic sugar.
Indians consume about 11 grams of salt and 10 teaspoons of sugar a day
Microplastics are a growing global concern as they can harm both health and the environment. These tiny plastic particles can enter the human body through food, water and air. Many recent researches have found microplastics in human organs such as lungs, heart, even breast milk and unborn babies.
Previous studies have found that the average Indian consumes 10.98 grams of salt and about 10 teaspoons of sugar every day, which is much more than the limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The organization conducting the study said – finding microplastics in all samples is a matter of concern
Ravi Agarwal, founder-director of Toxics Link, said that the purpose of our study was to contribute to the scientific data that is currently available on microplastics, so that the Global Plastic Treaty can pay better attention to this issue.
He also said that our objective is also that after this study, work should start towards making policy and the attention of researchers should be directed towards those technologies which can reduce the risk of microplastics.
Satish Sinha, Associate Director of Toxics Link, said that in this study, we tested all the samples of salt and sugar, and finding large amounts of microplastics in all of them is a matter of concern. There is an urgent need for research into the long-term effects of microplastics on human health.
