Well, heres some news thats (almost) bad enough to put you off your fish and chips.
If youre about to top said chips with salt, youll very likely be sprinkling them with tiny bits of plastic.
New research has found that over 90% of salt brands sold around the world are contaminated by plastics.
And dont feel smug because your salt has the word sea on it rather than plain white plastic – the highest levels of plastics were seen in sea salt.
The study found that only three out of 39 salt brands were free of plastics, with the rest all containing microplastics (plastics the size of a sesame seed or smaller).
The contamination happens because larger plastic rubbish in the ocean gets broken down into teeny tiny pieces thanks to warmth and friction, which are then present in the water. Sea salt is made through the evaporation of ocean water, which means that trace materials in the water are left behind in the grains – including those annoying bits of plastic.
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We already know that plastic lingers in a lots of our natural resources. Microplastics have been found in seafood, in rivers, and in tap water.
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But the recent study shows just how widespread the issue really is.
Heres hoping that big companies take this seriously and take action to reduce their plastic use.
Mikyoung Kim, campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia, said: Its clear that there is no escape from this plastics crisis, especially as it continues to leak into our waterways and oceans,” said
We need to stop plastic pollution at its source. For the health of people and our environment, its incredibly important that corporations reduce their reliance on throwaway plastics immediately.
MORE: Climate change is causing ecoanxiety and damaging our mental health – what can we do?
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