“Our initial hypothesis was that the synthetic gums would have a lot more microplastics because the base is a type of plastic,” Lisa Lowe, the study’s co-collaborator and a graduate student in Mohanty’s lab, explained in a statement. (Yes, certain types of synthetic gum contain petroleum-based polymers.)

Analysis revealed that just 1 gram of chewing gum released approximately 100 microplastics on average, with 1 gram of some gums releasing as many as 637 microplastics. A typical stick of gum can weigh anywhere from 1 gram to several grams, according to various reports.