Analysis revealed that just 1 gram of chewing gum released approximately 100 microplastics on average, with 1 gram of some gums releasing as many as 637 microplastics. A typical stick of gum can weigh anywhere from 1 gram to several grams, according to various reports.

Now you can add your favorite chewing gum to the list, thanks to the alarming findings of a new study. Chewing gum, whether natural or synthetic, contains plant-based or synthetic plastic polymers to enhance texture and flavor retention,

Testing of saliva samples for 10 brands found a single piece could release up to 3,000 plastic particles, with natural and synthetic gums both found to contain similar amounts of microplastics.