Sea salt around the world is contaminated by plastic, studies show

[Equinox Moon]

Source: Guardian

9.8.2017
Exclusive: New studies find microplastics in salt from the US, Europe and China, adding to evidence that plastic pollution is pervasive in the environment

Sea salt around the world has been contaminated by plastic pollution, adding to experts’ fears that microplastics are becoming ubiquitous in the environment and finding their way into the food chain via the salt in our diets.

Following this week’s revelations in the Guardian about levels of plastic contamination in tap water, new studies have shown that tiny particles have been found in sea salt in the UK, France and Spain, as well as China and now the US.

Researchers believe the majority of the contamination comes from microfibres and single-use plastics such as water bottles, items that comprise the majority of plastic waste. Up to 12.7m tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans every year, equivalent to dumping one garbage truck of plastic per minute into the world’s oceans, according to the United Nations.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/08/sea-salt-around-world-contaminated-by-plastic-studies

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Environmental Revolution NOW!

[Javaman]

1. I take this story with a pinch of plastic.

see what I did there? LOL

[burrowowl]

2. No, I'll take my salt with a pinch of plastic!

[BBG]

12. Both of you should be pinched

With plastic tongs.

[Javaman]

14. Tease lol nt

[Orrex]

3. Contaminated? Or ENRICHED?

I'm sick of all this glass-half-empty thinking!

[Dave Starsky]

5. It's not a bug, it's a FEATURE.

Plastic provides roughage which, as we all know, adds bulk to your stool and helps prevent colon cancer. This is why I make it a point to consume at least five Barbie Doll heads a week as per current FDA guidelines.

[Rollo]

10. Well, that's one way to get a little head...

.

[customerserviceguy]

4. I always wondered about the sea salt craze

It just seems to me that sea salt is a somewhat more contaminated version of salt produced by conventional means, and is really no better for a person with high blood pressure issues.

[Dave Starsky]

6. Well, sea salt is NATURAL.

In the same way that lead, arsenic, and chlorine gas are natural. In fact, those three are so pure and natural that they're listed on the Periodic Table of the elements!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

17. My boyfriend says "it's natural!" And I say "as opposed to supernatural?"

[customerserviceguy]

19. Yes, you have that right

There is so much hysteria over natural, organic, bio-whatever these days that it blinds people into thinking that some alternatives are better than others when there is really no difference whatsoever.

[janx]

23. It's all in the marketing. And people lap it up. n/t

[hack89]

25. No iodine- tastes better. Nt

[Bradical79]

29. From what I've read it's the trace minerals

that give sea salt better flavor. Iodized table salt is processed to remove trace minerals, while sea salt is not.

[hack89]

31. Iodine gives salt a bitter taste

and with a healthy diet you don't need it in your salt. That is why I prefer sea salt - much different taste, especially in cooking.

[Bradical79]

32. Good point, though I don't notice a flavor difference in cooking

Some just have superior pallets than others though. Notice my mom notices finder flavor differences than me, and I notice differences more than my dad

[Bradical79]

30. Sort of

Different salts for different uses. The bit of reading I've done on it doesn't really leave one salt superior to the other for practical use. At least until this plastic revelation lol.

Table salt has been processed and had iodine added. The processing gives it the much finer granules making it better for cooking. You can get much more precises measurements. The iodine added also helps with thyroid regulation, though I don't know if cooking changes that?

Sea salt contains trace ammounts of various minerals which give it a superior flavor. The larger granules also make it a bit better for a garnish in that you're just likely to use less than with table salt. The minerals are whst some claim when it comes to superior health benefits. Don't know if that's bullshit or not.

You also have kosher salt which I'm not familiar with, and low sodium salt (has potasium in the shaker with the salt) which is great for garnish because of low sodium, but bad for cooking because the cooked potasium tastes bitter.

[customerserviceguy]

33. I've seen non-iodized salt on store shelves

But, that was a long time ago, I don't use extra salt in my cooking, there's usually enough of it in other ingredients, such as canned vegetables, even with the low sodium variety.

My lady and I both take blood pressure meds, me just recently, and she has been taking them since I met her a dozen years ago. I always say, if you know how to use a spice rack, you really don't need a salt shaker.

[ancianita]

7. So now we've got disaster capitalist millionaires in the sea salt purification industry.

They mess up the world, then charge you for cleaning up a mess you didn't make.

[SunSeeker]

8. But who needs regulations?

[Cryptoad]

9. Dont forget all that,,,,

good stuff from the nuclear disaster in Japan,,,,,,,,,

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. I'm still trembling about that nuke plant on a barrier island in Fla!!!!

[Cryptoad]

18. MSNBC just had somebody on saying

they are not sure the backup generators that keep the nuclear rods cool in emergencies, are about above a 12 foot storm surge ........ same thingy that happened in Japan!

geeez.....

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. And they have had how many years since Fukishima to do something about it???

[Cryptoad]

21. This is why GOP fail at ,,,,,,

infrastructure maintenance and improvement. For Them, It always boils down to making improvements for everybody or keeping tax break for all the GOP Oligarchs,,,,, heh?

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Going to be hilarious when some plastic eating bacteria or fungus evolves.

Hilarious in the sense of OH HOLY FUCKING SHIT FUCKFUCKFUCKFUUUUUUUUUCK

[El Mimbreno]

28. Not that far-fetched

There are bacteria that feed on hydrocarbons. Truckers sometimes refer to having "critter" in their fuel, but the bacteria are also used to help clean up spills.

[EarthFirst]

13. Who is the first to offer BPA-free sea salt?

Gotta be a million dollar whitewash available here!

[Mosby]

16. The Himalayan pink salts started forming 800 million years ago

[Cryptoad]

22. I figured ,,,,,

Morton figured out a way to use up some pink food coloring !

[janx]

24. Sea salt, or the seas?

Really, our oceans become polluted each day from overpopulation and tourists. Sea salt is a lesser worry, IMO.

[calimary]

26. Damn...

[mucifer]

27. I wonder if the plastic in the oceans and lakes will cause the waters to heat up more.