ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
Indian sea salts sold by reputable domestic brands are widely contaminated with microplastics, a new study confirms. Examining eight brands of salts obtained from markets in the Mumbai region, Chandan Krishna Seth and Amritanshu Shriwastav of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, found they all contained microplastic particles (Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2018, DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3028-5). Particle counts varied per brand, ranging from 56 ± 49 to 103 ± 39 particles/kg of salt, for an average mass of 63.76 µg/kg salt. Particle materials included polyesters, poly(ethylene terephthalate), polyamide, polyethylene, and polystyrene. “Extensive dietary consumption of these Indian sea salts in multiple countries exposes a significant international population to the associated health effects of microplastic ingestion,” the researchers note. Seth and Shriwastav also experimented with removing microplastics from seawater using a simple bed of sand, fine gravel, and coarse gravel. One pass through the filtration bed removed 85% of microplastic particles from seawater.
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on X