Shocking revelation on salt and sugar of all brands, you are eating plastic every day

New Delhi. Microplastics have been found in all brands of salt and sugar sold in the Indian market, whether they are big brands or small brands, packaged or sold in the open. This claim has been made in a study published on Tuesday.

Environmental research organization ‘Toxics Link’ conducted this study titled ‘Microplastics in Salt and Sugar’. To reach this conclusion, the organization studied 10 types of salt including table salt, rock salt, sea salt and local raw salt. It also examined five types of sugar purchased online and from local markets.

All the salt and sugar samples studied contained microplastics, which were present in various forms including fibres, pellets, films and fragments. The size of these microplastics ranged from 0.1 millimetres (mm) to 5 mm.

According to the research paper, iodised salt was found to contain the highest amount of microplastics in the form of multicoloured thin fibres and films. Ravi Agrawal, founder-director of ‘Toxics Link’, said, “The aim of our study was to contribute to the existing scientific database on microplastics so that the global plastic treaty can address this issue in a concrete and focused manner.”

Satish Sinha, Associate Director of ‘Toxics Link’, said, “It is worrying that a significant amount of microplastics were found in all the salt and sugar samples in our study. There is an urgent need for more extensive research on the long-term health effects of microplastics on human health.”

According to the research paper, the concentration of microplastics in the salt samples ranged from 6.71 to 89.15 pieces per kilogram of salt. According to the study, iodised salt had the highest concentration of microplastics (89.15 pieces per kilogram), while organic rock salt had the lowest (6.70 pieces per kilogram).

According to the study, the concentration of microplastics in sugar samples ranged from 11.85 to 68.25 pieces per kilogram, with the highest concentration found in non-organic sugar. 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.