A study by the environmental research organisation, Toxics Link on Tuesday revealed that five types of sugar and ten types of salt it tested after purchasing from both online and local markets revealed that all of them showed the presence of microplastics. 

The tested salt included table salt, rock salt, sea salt and local raw salt. The study titled “Microplastics in Salt and Sugar” disclosed that all the samples it tested contained microplastics including fibre, pellets, films and fragments. The size of the microplastics, as per the report, was from 0.1 mm to 5 mm. In sugar samples, the amount of microplastics ranged from 11.85 to 68.25 pieces per kilogram. The Non-organic sugar found the highest concentration of the microplastics. Iodised salt in the form of multi-coloured thin fibre and films included the highest level of microplastics.

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Multiple studies have suggested that microplastics have several health risks, which include heart attack, and other cardiovascular problems among others. The plastic particles can enter the human body and inflict harm through blood, water and air. It can also cause risk of inflammation and cancer, endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, and infertility.

According to  Ravi Agarwal, Toxics Link founder and director, the objective of the 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. In recent times, there have been cases of microplastics in human organs such as the lungs, and heart, and even in breast milk and unborn babies.

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Ravi Agarwal further highlighted that they aim to trigger policy action and attract researchers’ attention to potential technological interventions that could reduce exposure risks to microplastics. “Our study’s finding of substantial amounts of microplastics in all salt and sugar samples is concerning and calls for urgent, comprehensive research into the long-term health impacts of microplastics on human health,” he added.