As of: February 26, 2024, 2:54 p.m
By: Karolin Schaefer
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Chewing gum is popular with many people.
The ingredients in the sticky mass are anything but healthy for the body and the environment.
Munich – They freshen your breath thanks to their peppermint flavor and are even tooth-friendly without sugar: Germans chew around 100 pieces of chewing gum a year.
They usually consist of a chewing mass, which is usually not defined in more detail on the ingredient list of many manufacturers.
These are often anything but environmentally friendly and can also have an impact on your own health.
Chewing gum is made from petroleum-based plastics
According to Consumer Window Hessen, an information portal run by the Hessian state government, the raw material for chewing gum is often produced synthetically.
“What this consists of does not need to be labeled,” explained Antje Degner from the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Consumer Center.
The basis for this is plastics made from petroleum.
In addition, chewing gum consists of 50 to 70 percent sugar.
Plasticizers, humectants, emulsifiers, colorants and fillers are also added.
It is not uncommon for plastics such as polyvinyl acetate to be included.
This was recently revealed by a study by the Swiss consumer magazine
Saldo
.
Twelve sugar-free chewing gums were examined: almost all of them contained microplastics, especially polyvinyl acetate.
Microplastics will be banned in the EU in the future.
Chewing gum can contain microplastics.
© IMAGO
“Even if I spit out the chewing gum, I swallow at least some of the microplastics because the individual components of the chewing gum mix with saliva when chewing.
This can be harmful to health,” explained gastroenterologist Stephan Vavricka to the news portal
20 Minutes
.
Microplastics detected in chewing gum: “Can attack the mucous layer in the intestine”
“Microplastics can attack the mucous layer in the intestine and, in the worst case, dissolve it,” says the specialist.
This can lead to diarrhea, flatulence, fatigue or inflammation in the intestines.
Existing intestinal diseases could be aggravated.
However, there have so far only been a few long-term research studies on the effects of tiny plastic particles.
A study by the University of Amsterdam was able to detect microplastics in human blood for the first time.
The Federal Environment Agency also fears that residues could accumulate in the tissue.
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According to a study by environmental medicine specialist Hans-Peter Hutter, people who regularly chew chewing gum have a higher concentration of degradation products from plasticizers - compared to people who do not chew chewing gum.
The contamination could “come from the packaging of the chewing gum among chewing gum chewers,” the
Stuttgarter Nachrichten
quoted the environmental doctor as saying.
But increased concentrations can also be found in people who wear make-up, use hair dye or drink from PET bottles.
According to Hutter, this is not toxicologically suspicious.
Vavricka emphasized that microplastics do not have the same effect on everyone.
In addition, it is difficult to trace a specific disease to microplastics.
You don't have to give up chewing gum completely.
Cosmetic products can also contain microplastics.
Chewing gum is not good for health and the environment: What alternatives are available?
“If you chew a lot of chewing gum, you also consume more additives, which can lead to stomach pain, flatulence, diarrhea and discomfort,” admitted the consumer window in Hesse.
Chewing gum containing the sugar substitute sorbitol can also promote fructose intolerance.
Chewing the gum too much can strain the muscles and joints in the jaw.
In any case, chewing gum is quite problematic for the environment.
The plastic parts are not biodegradable.
The chewing mass should not simply be spat carelessly onto the street, but rather disposed of in the trash.
Spit out chewing gum lasts for years in nature.
In addition, removing the sticky mass is very time-consuming.
The Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Consumer Center emphasized that there are now also chewing gums without plastic on the market, such as chicle gum made from the milky sap of tropical sapote plants, natural rubber or European tree resin.
Meanwhile, a cult chewing gum from Wrigley's has been taken off the market.
If the sticky mass has stuck to the shoe, there are a few tricks to remove the chewing gum.