Chewing gum probably has minuscule bits of plastic. In a study, researchers from UCLA stated that chewing gum would release microplastics into your mouth. Both synthetic and natural gum brands liberated around 100 plastic bits per gram. This was unveiled in a conference by American Chemical Society.
Lisa Lowe, a grad student, chewed seven pieces from ten brands-Both synthetic and natural. Each piece was chewed for four minutes. After that, saliva samples were collected every 30 seconds. After that, she rinsed her mouth with water, which was tested as well. Another study collected saliva over 20 minutes. They examined the pieces of plastic using either a scope or special light for viewing.
Most gum that a person would chew up at a given time is just a synthetic and contains such stuff as found in plastic bottles. These are polymers of petroleum. But these things aren't listed clearly in the labels; rather, they say "gum-based." This is what Mohanty said when he was told that the brands don't declare the ingredients. Lowe's finding was a surprise, for both kinds of gum brought a lot of microplastics.
Most of the microplastics are released after chewing for eight minutes. For gum lovers, chew one or two pieces longer-do not be in the habit of changing pieces every few minutes.
That plastic in your spit, moreover, is just a small part of what to be found in the chewing gum. Mohanty admonished: Do not litter gum; do not stick them on walls or sidewalks. Put them in a trash bin. That way, plastic waste gets reduced.