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President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a bill, the Save Our Seas Act, to amend the current Marine Debris Act to promote international action to reduce marine pollution. (October 11)
AP
The sea salt you sprinkle on your gourmet meal or dessert might contain an undesirable additive – the microplastic.
According to a new environmental study, 90% of salts sold worldwide contain microplastics. Sea salt had the highest level of concentration, the study found.
Researchers from South Korea and Greenpeace East Asia analyzed 39 salt brands from 21 countries, including the United States, China and Europe. 36 marks were contaminated with plastic fragments.
According to the National Ocean Service, microplastics are about the size of a sesame seed or smaller and are less than five millimeters long. The pollutant comes from a variety of sources, including large plastic debris in the ocean that breaks down into smaller particles when exposed to the sun and violent ocean currents.
Sea salt is produced by the evaporation of seawater, often with little processing, leaving traces of minerals and other elements, including plastic.
More: First ban on plastics in the country takes its first step in New Jersey
More: Mosquitoes eat plastic. Why it is a big problem.
More: Ocean Cleanup Program Continues Offshore to Clean Great Pacific Garbage Dump
The results, published in Environmental Science & Technology, are based on other studies of microplastics, which revealed that the contaminant was abundant in beach sediments, rivers, lakes and Arctic ice.
"Recent studies have revealed that plastics in seafood, wildlife, tap water and now in salt. It is clear that there is no way out of this plastic crisis, especially as it continues to flow into our rivers and oceans, "said Mikyoung Kim, an activist with Greenpeace East Asia in a statement.
"We need to stop plastic pollution at the source," said Kim. "For the health of people and our environment, it is extremely important that businesses immediately reduce their reliance on disposable plastics."
Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown
Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2018/10/17/sea-salt-microplastics-contamination-study/1675905002/
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