Microplastic content of over-the-counter toothpastes from India: an in-vitro study

Toothpaste, an indispensable oral care aid, has been the focal point of environmental and health concerns due to its composition, especially for the presence of microplastics, one of the many contentious components needing scrutiny. However, there is an immense dearth of studies in this context in India. Hence, this study was conceptualised to determine the presence of microplastics in over-the-counter toothpastes from India using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) technique. The 20 most popular toothpastes available on the Indian market were selected and examined to identify the presence of microplastics. The absorbance peaks corresponding to functional groups indicative of the compounds, polyamides, polyethene and polypropylenes were identified at different ranges in all 20 toothpastes examined. The polyamides presented characteristic absorbance peaks at 3268–3342 cm⁻¹, 1639–1643 cm⁻¹, 1200–1218 cm⁻¹, 1090–1109 cm⁻¹ and 870–929 cm⁻¹, whereas for polyethylene and polypropylene the characteristic absorbance peaks were observed at 2854–2945 cm⁻¹ and 1402–1415 cm⁻¹, respectively. The presence of microplastics in all 20 samples of toothpastes indicates a pressing need for scrutiny at the premarket phase and for stringent implementation of the rules to ensure their complete elimination, thus safeguarding the health of the public and the environment.