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

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, told AFP.

There is no evidence directly showing that microplastics are harmful to human health, said Mohanty of the University of California,........

© International Business Times