Bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic fragments, study says

Bottled water is up to a hundred times worse than previously thought in terms of the number of small plastic fragments it contains, according to a new study published this Monday (8) in a scientific journal in the United States.

Using a recently invented technique, scientists counted an average of 240,000 detectable plastic fragments per liter of water in popular brands.

This equates to between 10 and 100 times more than previous estimates, raising potential health concerns that require further study.

“If people are concerned about nanoplastics in bottled water, it is reasonable to consider alternatives like tap water,” Beizhan Yan, associate professor of geochemistry research at Columbia University and co-author of the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

However, he added: “We do not advise against drinking bottled water when necessary, as the risk of dehydration may outweigh the possible effects of exposure to nanoplastics.”

Global attention on microplastics has increased in recent years. They leach from larger plastic sources and are now found everywhere, from the poles to mountaintops and into drinking water and food.

While microplastics are less than 5 millimeters, nanoplastics are defined as particles smaller than one millionth of a meter.

They are so small that they can pass through the digestive system and lungs, entering directly into the bloodstream and consequently into organs, including the brain and heart. They can also cross the placenta and reach the fetus.

Research into their impact on ecosystems and human health is limited, although some early laboratory studies have linked them to toxic effects such as reproductive abnormalities and gastric problems.

The team used a technique called stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, recently invented by one of the paper's co-authors, which involves probing samples with two lasers tuned to resonate specific molecules, revealing what they are to a computer algorithm.

They looked at three leading brands but decided not to expose them, “because we believe that all bottled water contains nanoplastics, so singling out three popular brands could be considered unfair,” Yan said.

The team hopes to analyze tap water, which also contains microplastics, albeit at much lower levels.