When plastic garbage makes its way to the sea, it eventually breaks down into tiny fragments that return to us in salty seasonings, Malaysian researchers report in Scientific Reports.

In a survey of 16 sea salts from eight countries, researchers found microplastic particles lurking in all but one. In total, the researchers collected 72 particles from the salts and used micro-Raman spectroscopy to identify their components, which were mainly plastic polymers and pigments.

The amount of microplastics in the salts was so low that they pose no health risk—even if the only salt you ever eat is sea salt and you eat a lot of it. However, the flavored pollution is still worth keeping an eye on, the researchers argue.

We’re only increasing our use of plastics, they note, which “might lead to the gradual accumulation of [microplastics] in the oceans and lakes and, therefore, in products from the aquatic environments. This should necessitate the regular quantification and characterization of [microplastics] in various sea products.”

It’s not the first time researchers have traced plastics through the food chain. Plastic garbage that drifts into waterways is known to break down and get picked up by critters. Earlier studies have found microplastics—plastic particles between 1 and 1,000 micrometers in size—in other sea-borne foods, such as fish and clams. But to date, there hadn’t been a solid look into salts.

Using filters and the spectroscopy, the researchers found one to ten particles in the 16 brands of salt—they didn’t report which brands they looked at. (They initially had a 17th brand in the study, but they tossed it out because it had calcium sediments that clogged up their filters.)

Most of the fragments they found were shards of old plastic products that showed signs of weathering. This helped rule out contamination from packaging material.

In terms of composition, the most common polymer particles were polypropylene and polyethylene, followed by less frequent polyethylene terephthalate, polyisoprene/polystyrene, and nylon-6. They also found pigments, including phthalocyanine, chromate yellow, and hostaperm blue. These can be found in all sorts of plastic products, polyacrylic fibers, and paints.

Based on their findings and data on global salt consumption, the researchers estimated that people might consume around 37 microplastic particles from sea salt per year—if all the sodium in their diet came from sea salt. By contrast, previous research estimates that shellfish-loving Europeans may consume up to 11,000 microplastic particles a year. It’s not yet clear if that amount poses a health risk.

Scientific Reports, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/srep46173 (About DOIs).