Microscopic Plastics Reportedly Detected in Table Salt

A study examining table salts sold in China has purportedly found that
many brands contain microscopic plastic particles such as polyethylene
terephthalate, polyethylene and cellophane. Dongqi Yang, et al., “Microplastic
Pollution in Table Salts from China,” Environmental Science &
Technology, October 2015. Relying on samples obtained from Chinese
supermarkets, researchers report that microplastic content was highest
in sea salts at 550–681 particles per kilogram, followed by lake salts at
43–364 particles/kg and rock salts at 7–204 particles/kg.

The authors link this contamination to the pollution of coastal and
estuary waters with water bottles, cellophane wrappers and the microbead
exfoliates found in cosmetics. They also raise questions about the
salt processing, drying and packaging process. Based on World Health
Organization guidelines for salt intake, the study estimates that adults
who maximize their sea salt consumption will ingest approximately
1,000 microplastic particles each year from table salt alone, in addition
to the high microplastic concentrations found in mussels, fish and other
seafood products.

“Due to the pollution of seawater, many contaminants have been found
in sea salts, including plasticizers, such as di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate
and benzyl butyl phthalate,” explain the authors. “Plastic might be the
direct sources of these contaminants. However, plastics might absorb
contaminants from the seawater and transfer them to the sea products.
Therefore, the presence of marine microplastics in the sea salts might
pose a threat to food safety.” See American Chemical Society’s Chemical
& Engineering News, November 2, 2015.

Issue 584