Topic: Plastics in Salt
By: Sarah Everts & Chemical & Engineering News
Date: October 29, 2015
http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/plastic_contaminates_table_salt_in_china_-_scientific_american.pdf
Date: October 29, 2015
http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/plastic_contaminates_table_salt_in_china_-_scientific_american.pdf
Summary
Researchers in China are analyzing 15 brands of common table salt that were bought. Looking closely, they find little pieces of micro-sized particles such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, cellophane, and a wide variety of many other plastics. The highest level of plastic contamination was found in salt that was sourced from the ocean and it accumulated more than 250 particles of plastic per lb of sea salt. There is a debate over how plastics may have ended up in salt and Shi and his colleagues suggested that since most of the plastic pollution occurs most often in the ocean where the salt was sourced from. However, others say that it may have came from salt processing, drying, and packaging. These claims can ideally be seen reasonable but there is no guarantee as that it could also have been in places outside of China as Sherri Mason, who studies plastic pollution, mentions. It is obvious that plastic is ubiquitous and that it doesn't matter what lens you see it from. According to Shi's team, if a person were consuming Chinese sea salt at the maximal salt dose recommended by the World Health Organization, then that person would ingest about 1,000 microparticles annually. Lastly, Mason says that in plastic pollution it could have the possibility of containing heavy metals and other chemical concerns and that it would be a smart move to lower the amount of plastics entering our food chain.
Reflection
Who could've thought that there was actually plastics in salt? This really shocks me because I've eaten things that have salt in them as ingredients. However, nothing serious happened to me so I can guess that the salt I have bought and consumed was safe. Although this can be true, I wouldn't go so light-headed because plastic is a huge problem worldwide. Of course, plastics is still a problem today and they are ending up in places where it shouldn't be and that could be the result of our carelessness. People throw things out to the environment such as the ocean rather than in recycling bins where it can be best made useful out of them to be reused over and over again. More importantly, plastics do not degrade as fast as we think it does. The reason is because its made out of petroleum and can take years or even centuries to break down and decompose. Getting rid of plastics will not be easy and will take more than one to do the job. Managing our wastes is crucial in this setting as plastics end up in the bodies of other living species and that blame should be on us. I have a slight memory of watching something that plastics were made out of corn because they are biodegradable and its the safer and better alternative. The crazy thing about plastics is that how do we live without them? That is the question we all should be asking ourselves too. Its extremely hard because society has evolved into a plastic-dominated world and that can change. However, change is hard too. Once we get used to this new lifestyle of living plastic-free, Earth would be such a better place don't you think?
Researchers in China are analyzing 15 brands of common table salt that were bought. Looking closely, they find little pieces of micro-sized particles such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, cellophane, and a wide variety of many other plastics. The highest level of plastic contamination was found in salt that was sourced from the ocean and it accumulated more than 250 particles of plastic per lb of sea salt. There is a debate over how plastics may have ended up in salt and Shi and his colleagues suggested that since most of the plastic pollution occurs most often in the ocean where the salt was sourced from. However, others say that it may have came from salt processing, drying, and packaging. These claims can ideally be seen reasonable but there is no guarantee as that it could also have been in places outside of China as Sherri Mason, who studies plastic pollution, mentions. It is obvious that plastic is ubiquitous and that it doesn't matter what lens you see it from. According to Shi's team, if a person were consuming Chinese sea salt at the maximal salt dose recommended by the World Health Organization, then that person would ingest about 1,000 microparticles annually. Lastly, Mason says that in plastic pollution it could have the possibility of containing heavy metals and other chemical concerns and that it would be a smart move to lower the amount of plastics entering our food chain.
Reflection
Who could've thought that there was actually plastics in salt? This really shocks me because I've eaten things that have salt in them as ingredients. However, nothing serious happened to me so I can guess that the salt I have bought and consumed was safe. Although this can be true, I wouldn't go so light-headed because plastic is a huge problem worldwide. Of course, plastics is still a problem today and they are ending up in places where it shouldn't be and that could be the result of our carelessness. People throw things out to the environment such as the ocean rather than in recycling bins where it can be best made useful out of them to be reused over and over again. More importantly, plastics do not degrade as fast as we think it does. The reason is because its made out of petroleum and can take years or even centuries to break down and decompose. Getting rid of plastics will not be easy and will take more than one to do the job. Managing our wastes is crucial in this setting as plastics end up in the bodies of other living species and that blame should be on us. I have a slight memory of watching something that plastics were made out of corn because they are biodegradable and its the safer and better alternative. The crazy thing about plastics is that how do we live without them? That is the question we all should be asking ourselves too. Its extremely hard because society has evolved into a plastic-dominated world and that can change. However, change is hard too. Once we get used to this new lifestyle of living plastic-free, Earth would be such a better place don't you think?