Detection of microplastic contamination in table salts in Padang City, Indonesia, and control strategies for choosing healthy salt

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to observe the shape, colour, size, type of polymer, and abundance of MPs in various brands of salt commonly consumed by people in the city of Padang, Indonesia. A 50 g salt sample was digested using 30% hydrogen peroxide at 60°C for 30 minutes to degrade organic contaminants. Samples from nine brands of sea salt and one brand of mountain salt investigated were found to be contaminated with MPs with an abundance of MPs (microplastics) ranging from 30 ± 10 to 510 ± 10 particles kg−1. The most dominant shapes, colours, and sizes found were fragments (73%), black (44%), and sizes 101–300 µm (27%). The results of this study can be used as information to help develop effective control of MP pollution and as reference data for issuing policies related to quality parameters for limiting MP content in salt products. It is therefore important to choose healthy salt, that has minimal MP contamination to reduce MP exposure.KEYWORDS: Microplastics (MPs)MPs pollution controlpolymer typesalt contaminationsalt quality Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).