A study presented at the American Chemical Society Spring 2025 Meeting found that both synthetic and natural chewing gums can release up to 3,000 microplastic particles per piece during normal use—potentially doubling human microplastic ingestion.

Most of the microplastic release occurred within the first 8 minutes of chewing, with similar levels detected across both gum types. Polymer analysis identified several plastics, including polyolefins, polyethylene terephthalates, polyacrylamides, and polystyrenes. The researchers called for further studies to assess the potential release of nano-sized plastics and stressed the importance of proper gum disposal to reduce environmental impact.