January 15, 2010

Chewing on Plastic? Yum!

I’m not a big gum chewer. I can keep a stick of gum in my mouth for about five minutes, just enough time to suck all the flavor out of it, before I’m tired of chewing and starting to get that chewing gum headache.

So it was no hardship to let go of chewing gum when I gave up products in plastic packaging.

Chewing Gum

Still, if someone offered me a piece of gum, I might have accepted the random chew here and there. Yeah, I knew it contained artificial flavors and wasn’t good for me. And I always felt guilty if it came in one of these:

Chewing Gum

But after reading some information that Fake Plastic Fish reader Eleanor Sommer forwarded me yesterday, I won’t be putting any of that stuff in my mouth anymore.

Gum is made from plastic.

According to Chemistry.About.com, chewing gum was originally made from tree sap called chicle, a natural rubber, and sometimes various waxes. But…

After World War II, chemists learned to make synthetic rubber, which came to replace most natural rubber in chewing gum (e.g., polyethylene and polyvinyl acetate). The last U.S. manufacturer to use chicle is Glee Gum.

Polyvinyl acetate? What’s that? According to the article “Behind the Label: Chewing Gum” published this week in The Ecologist, polyvinyl acetate (a type of plastic) is manufactured using vinyl acetate, a chemical shown to cause tumors in lab rats. In fact, in 2008 the Canadian government was so concerned about vinyl acetate used in the production of chewing gum that they added it to a list of substances to be considered toxic. However, according to the The Ecologist article, government regulators were forced to back down due to industry pressure.

But is all chewing gum made from polyvinyl acetate? If the label lists “gum base” as an ingredient, it may contain “petroleum, lanolin, glycerin, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, petroleum wax, stearic acid, or latex,” according to the Vegetarian Resource Group.

The trouble is that we as consumers have no way of knowing which of these ingredients, if any, are included in a particular gum base because manufacturers are not required to go into any more detail!

And a few more points to ponder before I move on…

1) Where does (plastic) chewing gum go after it’s ABC (already been chewed)? Is it flushed down toilets? Washed down storm drains? Hmm… just one more source of non-biodegradable plastic in our oceans?

2) What happens when we swallow it? Does it eventually make its way out? Or do all of us have plastic in our stomachs? Just wondering…

Natural chewing gum

According to the About.com article, Glee Gum still uses natural chicle in its gum base. So I investigated the Glee Gum web site, and I found this description of the product’s gum base:

What is in your gum base?
Our gum base is a mix of chicle (see above), natural gums, rubbers, resins, and waxes. The exact formula is (unfortunately!) confidential. It is safe to chew, but, like all chewing gum, we don’t recommend that you swallow!

What exactly are the resins in Glee Gum? From the description above, I can’t tell whether the gum base contains plastic and/or petroleum-based wax or not. The site does tout the omission of artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors, and preservatives, which is awesome. But is the gum base completely natural?

I recalled that when my nieces were young, I bought them a “Make Your Own Rainforest Chewing Gum” kit that contained natural chicle as its base. Googling the product now, I see that it is also made by the Glee Gum company, and includes the same gum base as their chewing gums. So I still don’t know what else is in it.

I called and left a message for Glee Gum. I have not heard back yet, but I’ll be sure and post an update here when I get an answer.

UPDATE: I just spoke with Deborah Schimberg from Glee Gum. In fact, Glee’s gum base DOES contain polyvinyl acetate in addition to chicle. They are working on developing an all natural gum base with no synthetics. But at this point, she says that all gum manufacturers use synthetics in their gum base. And in fact, there are only a handful of gum base providers and they won’t even provide complete information to the chewing gum manufacturers about ingredients.

Deborah is hoping to release the new gum base in 2010, but she has several concerns to deal with. Natural rubber, for example, could be an allergen for people with latex allergies. And there are concerns about other possible ingredients. But she said she’d let me know first thing when the new gum base is ready.

Deborah also told me about an English woman who wants to collect our already chewed gum and make gum drop bins out of it for collecting even more chewed gum. Please check out GumDropBin.com.

Regardless, the point is that until manufacturers are required to list all of the ingredients in their products, rather than using non-specific terms like “gum base,” “natural flavors,” or “fragrance,” or similarly, until they are required to list the ingredients in their plastic packaging, we can’t know for sure what we’re putting into our bodies and whether or not it’s truly safe.

January 15, 2010 by Beth Terry
Filed under: sweet treats
Tags: chewing gum, chicle, Does chewing gum contain plastic?, Glee Gum, gum base, natural chewing gum, plastic in chewing gum, polyvinyl acetate, The Ecologist, toxic chewing gum, vinyl acetate

Comments

30 Comments on Chewing on Plastic? Yum!

Kelli aka KirkBerserk on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 11:40 am

Yuck. I quit chewing gum a couple years ago, but I still sometimes have dreams where it’s stuck in my mouth and I wake up completely grossed out. I felt that it was making me sick; I chewed 5 or 6 pieces a day when I was a food server to keep my mouth fresh for when I spoke to customers. When I left my last serving job I gave it up and haven’t looked back since. There’s better ways to have fresh breath! Thanks for the investigation! :)

Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 11:49 am

I have jaw issues so I don’t chew gum often and if I do I get Glee gum. :)
Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green´s last blog ..Stop Wasting And Save

The Raven on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 12:07 pm

I’m a chewing gum hater and always have been. When I was thinking about what my criteria for romantic partners was, I came up with 1. doesn’t smoke and 2. doesn’t chew gum. Disgusting tacky habit.

I LOVE to find out that something I can’t stand is bad for our health and bad for the environment, too!
The Raven´s last blog ..Carbon Diaries

Leslie @LaMamaNaturale on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 12:45 pm

Hi Beth! Wow! Who would have thought? Great article.
I switched to Glee Gum since I started our all natural journey. Rootin’ for Glee! I love their gum and hope they can keep it REAL.
Happy Friday and weekend to you! :)
Leslie @LaMamaNaturale´s last blog ..5 Ways to Reuse a Mylar Balloon

Amy Scanlan on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 12:54 pm

Unbelievable… I had not clue….I WAS a gum chewer….thanks so much for the insight.. I love your site and stories.
Amy

ruchi on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 1:02 pm

Ew. That’s pretty gross.

Condo Blues on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 1:11 pm

When I was little my parents told me not to swallow my gum because a gum tree would grow in my stomach. I think they did that so I wouldn’t swallow gum but I did and it gave it nightmares.

Maybe that’s why I’m not much of a gum chewer either.
Condo Blues´s last blog ..Could Blitzkrieg Be Bissell’s Most Valuable Pet?

Glee Guy on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 1:36 pm

Thank you very much for considering Glee!
We’re working hard to make our gum base more naturally.

Our boxes are made with recycled cardboard– no blister packs!
We avoid plastic whenever possible ’cause of its many drawbacks.

Gum is not yet perfect, and perhaps it never shall be.
But if you want to chew gum, we sure hope you choose Glee!

abbie on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 1:59 pm

I don’t chew gum often. It gives me a headache, too. Sometimes, it even makes me gag.

I think I may print this out and hang it under my “No Gum!” sign in my classroom :)
abbie´s last blog ..Introduce Yourself!

EcoYogini on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 2:25 pm

ugh…. that is gross. and what’s the point really of choosing a gum that “might have” less plastic?
I used to LOVE chewing gum, until I started having jaw problems. Who knew that chewing gum is the #1 thing to avoid for jaw health? also- the juices that they release seriously hurt my stomach……

Instead of choosing the “lesser” evils, i’m just gonna continue avoiding gum. and forward this article to my fiance… he is still a gum chewer!
EcoYogini´s last blog ..Four Free Eco-Beauty Changes & A Bloggy-Friend’s New Venture!

Rob on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 2:27 pm

Nice to know my gum brand is OK (Glee). And mints. I love breath mints.
Rob´s last blog ..No Space Gardening

Anna @Green Talk on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 3:28 pm

I am a gum chewer since it keeps me focused. I tried Glee and liked the taste but after awhile the gum falls apart.

Thanks for bring this to my attention. Now, what am I going to chew to keep me focused. Pen caps are out of the question.
Anna @Green Talk´s last blog ..Clementine Crate Become Nifty Bathroom Storage Container

Tracey on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 10:07 pm

When I Googled “allo natural chewing gum” looking for the brands that my coop sewlls, I got a load of Glee Gum references. Wise geek misinforms us :
“One brand of natural chewing gum, Glee Gum®, is perfect for gum chewers with … In addition, the gum base is made from all-natural chicle. Chicle is sap that is harvested from rainforest trees in Central America called Sapodilla trees – using it supports the local economy and protects the Sapodilla trees from clear cutting. All the rubbers, glazes, waxes and flavors come from natural plant sources –- without the use of any chemicals or animal by-products.

Another brand of natural chewing gum is Xylichew Gum®. It uses a different form of natural sweetener, xylitol. Xylitol is harvested from various fruits and hardwood trees. It actually has been proven to fight dental decay and even repair tiny cavities. It does not leave an aftertaste, but combines well with other natural ingredients in natural chewing gum. ”
Spry gum contains the same “gum base” and is touted as all natural.

What a mess.
Tracey´s last blog ..Specials and New Lower Prices

Andrea on Fri, 15th Jan 2010 10:08 pm

Almost no one knows this, but I haven’t chewed gum since I was about 8 because of the germ factor- (everyone takes it out of their mouth with their hands to throw it away, and then proceed to touch everything else around them without washing their hands) so I love this.

I just don’t know how to break it to my almost 70 year old dad though who has chewed at a minimum 1 full pack of gum a day for my entire 38 year long life! The only smell that I associate with him is chewing gum. I’m pretty sure he won’t change, nonetheless, I feel compelled to send him the link.

mrs spock on Sat, 16th Jan 2010 7:25 am

Creepy! I’ve never been a gum-chewer, but if I am ever tempted- never again!

Emily on Sat, 16th Jan 2010 5:24 pm

Yeah – yuch. It hit me some months ago ‘what is gum made of anyways?’ mostly because I wanted to know what “Bubble Gum” flavor really consisted of. Turns out even the flavor is chemicals – yuck! Many speculate the bubble gum flavor is a mix of cherry, banana, vanilla and spearamint. Okay, enough of that – but I learned gum is plastic! Safe or not I stopped chewing it right away – I don’t know what else I thought it could possibly be. I don’t let my daughter chew it either.
Good article, Emily

BillyO on Sat, 16th Jan 2010 6:22 pm

I remember hearing something about a component in chewing gum that they were going to ban, and then the whole thing just went away. That seems to happen a lot these days.

When I was little, the gum came in little foil and paper packages with paper wrappers over foil liners. Candy bars came with paper wrappers over foil too. Now everything has to be wrapped in plastic. Back then, when you were done chewing the gum, you could fold the wrappers into jewelry. I can remember seeing many necklaces, rings and bracelets made from gum wrappers although I never was able to chew enough gum to save up enough to make anthing bigger than a ring.
BillyO´s last blog ..Stainless Steel Drinking Bottle (Solar System) by Crocodile Creek

Mike on Mon, 18th Jan 2010 8:50 am

There are a lot worse things/habits out there to be concerned about.
‘Big bad gum chemicals’..boo hoo!
Besides
You’re just gonna die anyway.

Tiffany on Tue, 19th Jan 2010 9:34 pm

Ewww. I had never even thought about it….
Tiffany´s last blog ..Remembering…

Pure Mothers on Wed, 20th Jan 2010 9:25 am

I haven’t chewed gum in ages. It’s not healthy on another level. Chewing is the first stage in digestion and chewing gum is a false alarm that food is to follow the chewing, which causes the stomach to release stomach acids. If no food comes down to digest, the acid can cause ulcers and other problems.

Kayla on Wed, 20th Jan 2010 9:18 pm

This is appalling. Thank you for this insight…I won’t be chewing gum any time soon.

Dr. Fullmer on Mon, 25th Jan 2010 3:35 pm

Xylitol is made using a nickel catalyst. Every company’s report will contain some amount of nickel. I am interested in Glee’s new all-natural gum base this year. I only keep gum for breath emergencies.

Gen on Sun, 7th Mar 2010 10:35 am

I only chew gum when I fly, to help avoid ear pain. Sending this article to others I know though, especially those with kids. Thanks so much.

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Gabrielle on Thu, 8th Apr 2010 12:38 pm

I am so disappointed to hear about Glee Gum–thought it was a natural alternative. I hate that you cannot get the truth anywhere.

FrugalNut on Mon, 17th May 2010 11:52 am

I stopped chewing gum as soon as I read this. Unbelievable, yet so believable. My fiancee chews gum to help quit smoking, and my mom tried to convince me that there’s no plastic. I just forwarded this link to her, hopefully she’ll rethink gum!

John Media @ server hosting on Wed, 9th Jun 2010 5:23 am

Bubble gums do have the substance called resin which makes it more like chewy and doesn’t dissolve. You would not surely swallow one because It will be hard for you to digest it. So its not recommended to swallow

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