Few years ago, South Korean scientists and researchers conducted a study and discovered that 90% of table salt brand products contain microplastic. Out of 39 brands, a whopping number of 36 were not filled entirely with salt.
“The emissions from the country contributes to the human ingestion of microplastics through salt," explained Seung-Kyu Kim, a marine science professor at Incheon National University.
The study indicated that only 3 brands from the 21 tested- one seventh- were pure-salt. Countries from Europe, Americas, Asia, and Africa were analyzed, but the result showed that Taiwan, China, and France were the sole countries selling salt without a speck of microplastic included. Looking deeper into this analysis, Taiwan did this through refining sea salt; China used the process of refining rock salt; France sold unrefined sea salt produced by solar evaporation.
It also found that Asian salt brands had the highest density of microplastics among other countries around the world. Indonesia, an Asian country with a coastline of 34,000 miles, sold salt with the highest quantity of microplastics.
Microplastic Levels (highest to lowest)
1. sea salt
2. lake salt
3. rock salt
A new study states that an average adult consumes about 2,000 microplastics via salt per year. The implied meaning remains a mystery, but we can guess that it is a warning signal. However, a separate study by the University of York in Britain claimed that not enough information is known to conclude that microplastics cause harm.
What do you think? Know your food, know your choices, know your world.