Varying levels of microplastics detected in sea salt produced across India

Salt is now one of the many sources through which humans ingest microplastics. They are also found in seafood, air, fruits and vegetables. Globally, India is among the leading countries in salt production.

Several studies across India have established the presence of microplastics in sea salt. Depending on the study, the number of microplastics found in a kilogram of sea salt varied between 35 and 575 particles.

The microplastics were made up of polymers like polyethylene, polyester and polyvinyl chloride, among others.

Filtration of seawater can help mitigate the transfer of microplastics to the produced salt, shows research.

As the impacts of microplastics on human health are not yet fully understood, researchers feels that it is premature to draw any conclusions of the impact on health, from the present studies.

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