Are you keeping a mental list of all the sources of microplastics finding their way into your daily life? You may have another culprit to consider: It’s gum, according to a new pilot study that found chewing just one piece can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics into saliva.

The researchers' analysis revealed that the lion's share of the microplastics were released from the gum in the first two minutes of chewing—thanks to the mechanical action, rather than the enzymatic properties of saliva—reaching 94 percent within eight minutes.

A new study finds that one piece of gum can release hundreds -- possibly thousands -- of microplastics into your saliva. And researchers warn it may be a hidden source of plastic exposure that many people overlook.