Chewing on plastic with bubblegum

Chewing gum releases hundreds of tiny plastic pieces straight into people's mouths, researchers said yesterday, also warning of the pollution created by the rubber-based sweet.

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Paris —

The small study comes as researchers have increasingly been discovering small shards of plastic called microplastics throughout the world, from the tops of mountains to the bottom of the ocean — and even in the air we breathe.

They have also been discovered microplastics riddled throughout human bodies — including inside our lungs, blood and brains — sparking fears about the potential effect this could be having on health.

"I don't want to alarm people," Sanjay Mohanty, the lead researcher behind the new study, said.