Many people chew gum and some people do so every single day. It’s a great way to keep your mouth occupied and keep your breath fresh, but there are also problems associated as well.
If you happen to be a fan of gum chewing, then there is a study that you should know about. Scientists have linked the act of chewing gum to cancer, and that is due to microplastics.
If you chew gum on a regular basis, you may be chewing as much as 15 credit cards worth of plastic on an annual basis. Of course, there are other studies that may need to be done but it is thought that microplastics could invoke cancer.
California researchers recently concluded that being exposed to microplastics is ‘suspected’ to increase the possibility of colon and lung cancer. That goes along with the new study, entitled ‘Chewing gums: Unintended sources of ingested microplastics in humans’.
There are a few main ingredients in chewing gum, flavorings, sweeteners, and the rubbery base of gum that is what makes it chewing gum in the first place. That base may be made up of a polymer that is like the plastic used in trash bags or the rubber used in car tires.
According to the lead author of the paper: “Our goal is not to alarm anybody.
“Scientists don’t know if microplastics are unsafe to us or not. There are no human trials. But we know we are exposed to plastics in everyday life, and that’s what we wanted to examine here.”
According to the team, there is something that gum chewers can do to lower the risk of developing cancer.
“The results reveal that each gram of gum can release up to 637 microplastic particles, with 94% being released within the first 8 minutes of chewing.”
This means that if you chew the gum for a lot longer, it reduces the amount of time that you are exposed to the microplastics overall. The paper continued:
“Interestingly, synthetic gums released a similar amount of microplastics as natural, plant-based gums.”
In conclusion, the paper noted: “These findings suggest that chewing gum may lead to the direct ingestion of microplastics, potentially posing health risks.
“The plastic released into saliva is a small fraction of the plastic that’s in the gum.
“So, be mindful about the environment and don’t just throw it outside or stick it to a gum wall.”