What’s really in your chewing gum?

Chewing gum may seem harmless, but did you know that most types on the market are actually full of… plastic? On the ingredients list, you’ll often see “gum base” or simply “gum” – a vague term that usually refers to synthetic polymers. In other words: when you chew gum, you’re literally chewing on plastic.

Do microplastics get released while chewing?
Unfortunately, yes. Researchers discovered that after just one hour of chewing, more than 250,000 microplastics were found in saliva samples. Nanoplastics were also detected – even smaller, but just as worrying.

What exactly are micro- and nanoplastics?

• Microplastics are tiny plastic particles (smaller than 5 mm) that do not break down in the environment. They’re found in water, air, food – and inside our bodies.

• Nanoplastics are a thousand times smaller and can even reach our organs.

So what’s actually in chewing gum?
The so-called “gum base” is often made up of ingredients you wouldn’t expect to put in your mouth, such as:

• Polyvinyl acetate – also known as the glue you might have used in school.

• Butyl rubber – the same material used in car tires.

• Isobutylene-isoprene – a type of synthetic rubber.

Not exactly ingredients you’d want to chew on every day.

How big is the impact?
The numbers are staggering: worldwide, 374 billion pieces of chewing gum are sold every year. In the Netherlands alone, that’s around 3.5 to 4 million kilos of gum annually. After chewing, more than 1.2 million kilos of plastic residue remain. A large part ends up as litter on the streets. Every gum stain you see on the pavement is essentially plastic waste that won’t just disappear.

And what about your health?
While chewing, micro- and nanoplastics are released and enter your body. Most of them luckily leave again through digestion, but the smallest particles can pass through your intestines into your bloodstream. From there, they can even reach your organs. Scientists are increasingly concerned about this.

What can you do?
Fortunately, there are alternatives and simple steps you can take:

• Choose plastic-free gum made from natural gum, from brands like BenBits, True Gum, or Chewsy.

• Always throw gum in the trash to prevent it from ending up as litter.

• Sign our petition for a chewing gum ban.

Did you know…

• Manufacturers are not legally required to disclose what’s in the “gum base”?

• Many cities spend millions every year cleaning gum off streets?

• More and more plastic-free chewing gum brands are available that taste just as good as the well-known ones?

It’s time to make more conscious choices. By switching to plastic-free gum, you avoid ingesting microplastics yourself – and help prevent even more plastic pollution in our streets and environment.