this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2025
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Almost all modern gum base is made from rubber/plastic. If you want plastic free gum you'll likely have to switch to one that specifically advertised as such. Most people talk about Simply Gum; I've never tried it personally and don't know much about the company
"Surprisingly, the natural based gums gave off the same amount of microplastics" so I'm not sure it's worth switching from the one you like. The better way to reduce your intake is not to start a new piece, instead keep chewing the old one that's releasing fewer and fewer particles. The best choice would be to stop chewing gum, but it helps me eat less, also there's apparently microplastics in foods too, and in everything else including our eyeballs.
How do gum bases not made of plastic give off plastic? Chicle and other natural gum bases come from plants.
I don't know, I just quoted the study.
My theory as a non-scientist would be that the plastics aren't from the gum at all, but the gums and tongue which are apparently already full of them, according to random things on the Internet.
But that just shows how stupid it is to ask me