Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are synthetic polymer pieces with a size of less than 5 mm that are ubiquitous in the marine environment. They have been recently detected in several wild species and sea products. An indispensable condiment in human food is marine salt that is produced from seawater. Since toxicity studies report potential health impacts when plastic debris is ingested, more attention must be paid to the MP contamination of sea salt and the underlying reasons for this. The central aim of this study is to evaluate the MPs contamination level of sea salt in correlation with the MPs contamination level of seawater in Vietnamese areas. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was employed to determine MPs in the samples collected from three artificial salt pans of Vietnam. The result revealed the presence of MPs in all study areas—Vung Tau (VT;14.54 MPs/L seawater and 114.67 MPs/kg salt), Ly Nhon (LN; 13.14 MPs/L seawater and 63.59 MPs/kg salt), and Can Thanh (9.42 MPs/L seawater and 93.69 MPs/kg salt). The comparisons highlight close correlations in the percentage, shape, size, and color of MPs, especially polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene particles extracted from the seawater and its salt. This study proved that seawater is a plastic pollution source for salts produced by traditional seawater evaporation. The study also alerts the prevalence of MPs in the environment and human consumables, thereby indicating that actions must be taken to reduce the pollution of water sources in Vung Tau and at the UNESCO Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve and improve salt production and refinery processes in order to minimize the number of MPs in final salt products for safe consumption.
Highlights
Since the first synthetic plastics were launched in the market, they have been widely manufactured in various forms for household uses and almost all industrial applications, thereby leading to “the plastic era” nowadays
The advantages and convenience of plastic products—such as being lightweight, durable, and low cost—are undeniable; human health impacts caused by Microplastics in Salt and Seawater plastic additives have been widely reported, such as dermatitis, endocrine disruption, and cancer (Godswill and Godspel, 2019)
Many actions have been taken to reduce plastic use, global plastics production has continued to increase from 335 million tons in 2016 to 370 million tons in 2020 (PlasticsEurope, 2018, 2020)
Summary
Since the first synthetic plastics were launched in the market, they have been widely manufactured in various forms for household uses and almost all industrial applications, thereby leading to “the plastic era” nowadays. The advantages and convenience of plastic products—such as being lightweight, durable, and low cost—are undeniable; human health impacts caused by Microplastics in Salt and Seawater plastic additives have been widely reported, such as dermatitis, endocrine disruption, and cancer (Godswill and Godspel, 2019). Many actions have been taken to reduce plastic use, global plastics production has continued to increase from 335 million tons in 2016 to 370 million tons in 2020 (PlasticsEurope, 2018, 2020). Plastic wastes have aggravated environmental pollution because they continuously degrade into small pieces of micro- and nanosizes, generally called microplastics (MPs). They have become a ubiquitous ocean pollutant, and their elimination from the aquatic environment has, become more challenging. MPs have been found in various marine organisms such as fish and bivalves, finding their way into the human body through the food chain (Li et al, 2016; Steer et al, 2017)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
