90% of Table Salt Contains Microplastics (1 Viewer)

[Laron]

National Geographic just published this article below, disusing research that shows 90% of the table salt they tested contains microplastic.

"Microplastics were found in sea salt several years ago. But how extensively plastic bits are spread throughout the most commonly used seasoning remained unclear. Now, new research shows microplastics in 90 percent of the table salt brands sampled worldwide. Of 39 salt brands tested, 36 had microplastics in them, according to a new analysis by researchers in South Korea and Greenpeace East Asia. Using prior salt studies, this new effort is the first of its scale to look at the geographical spread of microplastics in table salt and their correlation to where plastic pollution is found in the environment. “The findings suggest that human ingestion of microplastics via marine products is strongly related to emissions in a given region,” said Seung-Kyu Kim, a marine science professor at Incheon National University in South Korea." (Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/microplastics-found-90-percent-table-salt-sea-salt/)

So what is microplastic?

Wikipedia states: "Microplastics are small barely visible pieces of plastic that enter and pollute the environment. To clarify, microplastics are not a specific kind of plastic, but rather is any type of plastic fragment that is less than five millimeters in length according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA classifies microplastics as less than 5 mm in diameter. They enter natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, cosmetics, clothing, and industrial processes.

Plastic is full of chemicals so this is yet another area of our health that we need to be aware of.

 

[therium]

These microplastics cannot be digested or absorbed by the human body. I wonder how bad this could be for humans if they ingest enough of these microplastics? Will the microplastics penetrate the intestinal wall or will they pass through? Will they get hung up on a corner in the large intestine or keep going and get flushed out?

Some types of plankton might feed on the plastics, get their stomach full of plastics, then starve to death and the plankton population might collapse, though I never saw my freshwater plankton eat any non-organic particles. They seem to know what they can and cannot eat.

 

[Anaeika]

https://owlcation.com/stem/Microplastics-in-the-Human-Body-and-Potential-Health-Effects

It was once thought that although large pieces of plastic debris could be dangerous to aquatic life due to ingestion or entanglement, plastic didn't interact chemically with either sea or fresh water. Scientists now know that this isn't true.

Plastics slowly degrade into microplastic particles. Chemicals added to plastics to improve their properties leach (escape) into the water as this happens. Leached chemicals attach to microplastic particles by a process called sorption.

Some of the leached and sorbed chemicals are listed below. They are thought to be dangerous for us, but this may be true only when they are sufficiently concentrated.

• PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are synthetic chemicals that are no longer made in the United States. They used to be added to plastics and are still present in the environment, however. They can produce a number of harmful health effects and are classified as a probable carcinogen (cancer causer).
• PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are persistant chemicals that don't break down easily, like PCBs. They are added to some plastics. They are a possible carcinogen and can also produce other effects.
• Flame retardants, chemicals that act as hormone disrupters, and pesticides are also carried by microplastic particles.

 

[Anaeika]

Not all sea salt is the same. I would not grab any sea salt while grocery shopping believing I just made a healthy choice. Sourcing matters. When seasalt is taken from the ocean, the water is evaporated, leaving particulate matter. What is left is NaCl (salt) as well as minerals, microplastics, and whatever else that is not liquid.

A good source would be from old salt mines, when evaporation occured naturally before pollution. The absolute best to buy w a high mineral content is Celtic sea salt. There are others too, just have to do your research.

Table salt has been processed and tastes saltier than seasalt due to its purity. It has a higher NaCl content. It lacks mineral content. However, this does not mean it is pure! Often, iodide is added, which is not the best form of iodine. Also, chemical are added so the salt does not clump together.

 

[Alain]

Pink Himalaen salt what is with this one. Has a particular taste i find

 

[Laron]

Has a particular taste i find

Particular? Like a cold raspberry that's been melted from the sun?

 

[Alain]

Don t know that taste

It s far stronger and so less is surely nerded to salt

 

[Anaeika]

Alain ,
Wikipedia says this about Himalayan seasalt:

Although its salt is sometimes marketed as "Jurassic Sea Salt", this salt deposit comes from a seabed of the Permian and Cretaceous eras 100 to 200 million years ago. This sea became landlocked and evaporated, leaving a dense salt deposit, colored by a common pink microorganism that had lived in it. Salt was probably mined there from that time, but the first records of mining are from the Janjuapeople in the 1200s.

Considering that it is 100-200 million years old, I would consider this free from microplastics! Hehe The pink comes from a microorganism! Just learned smth new! I use this one. I don’t find it has a different taste, but I am used to it. I find table salt to have a funny taste on the rare occasion I have it.

 

[Linda]

I use a mineral salt from an ancient sea in what is now Utah, "Real Salt". Natural Grocers and HEB each carry it. The company has been manufacturing it since 1958. It has flecks of other minerals and a slight sweet taste. In earlier times, Native Americans visited the area to collect the salt.