Yes, that's right; there is plastic in table salt. Researchers found tiny particles of the plastic used in water bottles, polyethylene, when analyzing fifteen brands of table salt sold at supermarkets in China. They also found polyethylene, cellophane, and many other plastics. Salt from the ocean had the highest level of plastic contamination; more than 250 particles of plastic per pound of sea salt were found. Tiny particles of plastic in salt also came from briny lakes, briny wells, and salt mines and measured between 3 and 165 particles per pound. Huahong Shi of East China Normal University and colleagues suggest that plastic contamination originate from the huge amount of plastic floating around in marine environments where sea salt is obtained. Bits of plastic might erode from largest objects dumped in the water or from cosmetic products. Other sources of plastic contamination include during salt processing, drying, and packaging. If a person consumes the highest dose of Chinese sea salt recommended, then they would ingest about 1,000 microparticles of plastic each year, according to Shi's team. Since manufacturers normally extract sea salt from ocean by evaporation, which leaves everything behind but water, microplastic contamination of sea salt probably occurs outside China as well.
It kinda scares me that plastic is in salt because plastic may contain chemicals. Finding plastic in salt probably doesn't only occur in China; I think there's a high chance that there is plastic in the salt sold in American supermarkets. However, the reason why salt is contaminated is because of all the plastic waste thrown into our oceans and lakes. Plastic takes a long time to be degraded; so it'll stay in our oceans for centuries. Not only does it pollute our oceans, but sea mammals mistake it for food and consume it, killing the mammals. This is why we need to stop dumping plastic into our oceans! Plastic is recyclable and recycling plastic will reduce the amount of waste in landfills and cause less sea mammals to die. This would also reduce the level of plastic contamination in salt. I believe that recycling should be mandatory and that all public places should have recycling bins. People need to be educated that recycling is good and beneficial; not only to the environment but also for us. That is one place we can to start to decrease plastic contamination in salt and the oceans.
Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-contaminates-table-salt-in-china/
Article by Sarah Everts on October 29,2015
It kinda scares me that plastic is in salt because plastic may contain chemicals. Finding plastic in salt probably doesn't only occur in China; I think there's a high chance that there is plastic in the salt sold in American supermarkets. However, the reason why salt is contaminated is because of all the plastic waste thrown into our oceans and lakes. Plastic takes a long time to be degraded; so it'll stay in our oceans for centuries. Not only does it pollute our oceans, but sea mammals mistake it for food and consume it, killing the mammals. This is why we need to stop dumping plastic into our oceans! Plastic is recyclable and recycling plastic will reduce the amount of waste in landfills and cause less sea mammals to die. This would also reduce the level of plastic contamination in salt. I believe that recycling should be mandatory and that all public places should have recycling bins. People need to be educated that recycling is good and beneficial; not only to the environment but also for us. That is one place we can to start to decrease plastic contamination in salt and the oceans.
Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-contaminates-table-salt-in-china/
Article by Sarah Everts on October 29,2015