Tiny plastic in fish and salt
Microplastic contamination in salt-cured fish and commercial sea salts: an emerging food safety threat in relation to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Microplastic levels in salt-cured fish exceeded 54 items per gram—much higher than global averages.
Most people assume processed food is cleaner, but this shows that preservation methods like salting may not remove contaminants and could even concentrate them.
Practical Takeaways
Consider choosing sea salt or seafood products from regions with lower plastic pollution or stricter quality controls, if available.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Microplastic levels in salt-cured fish exceeded 54 items per gram—much higher than global averages.
Most people assume processed food is cleaner, but this shows that preservation methods like salting may not remove contaminants and could even concentrate them.
Practical Takeaways
Consider choosing sea salt or seafood products from regions with lower plastic pollution or stricter quality controls, if available.
Publication
Journal
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Year
2024
Authors
Suguna Palanisamy, B. C. Naidu, Sandhiya Venkatesh, Layana Porayil, A. Balange, B. B. Nayak, S.S. Shaju, Martin Xavier
Related Content
Claims (3)
Fish cured with salt and sea salt from India's east coast have a lot of tiny plastic bits in them—some types of plastic like PVC and polystyrene—and that could be a problem for our health and the environment.
The tiny plastic bits in salted fish and sea salt from India's east coast are mostly from broken-down plastic trash in the ocean, and they’re usually smaller than a grain of sand.
Sea salt might be adding tiny plastic bits to fish that's been salt-cured, because the kinds of plastics in the salt match what we find in the fish.