A shocking study has revealed all Indian salt and sugar brands - big or small, packaged or unpackaged – are loaded with microplastics – that can cause cancer. The research, titled Microplastics in Salt and Sugar, conducted by the environmental research organization Toxics Link, tested nearly ten types of salt - including table salt, rock salt, sea salt, and local raw salt, along with five types of sugar purchased from both online and local markets.

It revealed apart from microplastics – tiny fragments of plastic found in food, ranging in size from 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters - in all salt and sugar samples, in various forms which included fibre, pellets, films, and fragments. According to the study, the highest levels of microplastics were found in iodized salt - in the form of multicoloured thin fibre and films.

"The objective of our 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," said Ravi Agarwal, founder-director of Toxics Link. "We also aim to trigger policy action and attract researchers' attention to potential technological interventions that could reduce exposure risks to microplastics," he added.

"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," Toxics Link associate director Satish Sinha added.

According to the report, the concentration of microplastics in the salt samples ranged from 6.71-89.15 pieces per kilogram of dry weight. Iodized salt – which is the most used condiment in Indian kitchens - had the highest concentration of microplastics - at 89.15 pieces per kilogram, while organic rock salt had the lowest at 6.70 pieces per kilogram.

In sugar samples, the concentration of microplastics ranged from 11.85 to 68.25 pieces per kilogram, with the highest concentration found in non-organic sugar.

According to statistics, across the world, at least 322 million metric tons of plastics were produced in 2016 – of which 60 per cent supplied the food and beverage industry with food packaging. These plastics contain an array of chemicals, including stabilizers, lubricants, fillers, and plasticizers.

Experts say exposure to environmental conditions like heat causes plastic to break into smaller fragments which migrate into food. Single-use water bottles, to-go containers, food cans, and storage wraps are examples of common plastic-based food packaging that contains microplastics.

Microplastics are a growing global concern because they can harm both health and the environment. A few health concerns include:

Microplastics can be disruptors or endocrine which include estrogen, and testosterone, leading to adverse health effects and increasing your risk of chronic conditions like diabetes, PCOS, and fertility.

According to research, long-term exposure to endocrine-disrupting microplastics increases the risk of developing heart diseases, inflammation, insulin resistance, and even obesity – which is a precursor to many life-threatening conditions.

Experts say inflammation induced by exposure to microplastics leads to poor gut health and weakened immunity levels. Your gut plays an important role in strengthening your immunity and persistent exposure to microplastics in the gut is toxic to immune cells.

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