Plastic is everywhere. And many products we use in everyday life, such as cutting boards, clothes and cleaning sponges, can expose people to tiny, micrometer-wide plastic particles called microplastics.

Now, chewing gum could be added to the list. In a pilot study, researchers found that chewing gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics per piece into saliva¹ and potentially be ingested.

The researchers will present their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2025 is being held March 23-27; it features about 12,000 presentations on a range of science topics.

Chewing-gum pieces of different sizes, shapes and colors.

Both natural and synthetic² chewing gums released microplastics into saliva in a pilot study.