Researchers have found that the average liter of bottled water contains 240,000 pieces of nanoplastics, which are super-tiny particles that some worry may be linked to health problems.
“To conduct their analysis, researchers from Columbia and Rutgers universities filtered bottled water from three different brands through an ultra-thin membrane,” according to an exclusive report from grist.
“They then shone two lasers, calibrated to recognize the chemical bonds that hold the nanoplastic particles together, at the membrane. Then it was a simple matter of counting all the different plastic particles. They estimated that a typical one-liter bottle in contains 240,000”.
This is 10 to 100 times more than previously published estimates.
A bottle of water is said to contain 240,000 nanoplastics!
Do you drink bottled water? pic.twitter.com/rCsDW4htlA
— Dr. Truth (@Tony11Sim) January 12, 2024
The crazy thing is that the nanoplastic particles don't come from the water bottle itself. Most water bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, but the particles found in the water contained polyamide (a type of nylon) and polystyrene.
According to Grist, this suggests that “contaminants, somewhat ironically, get into bottled water as a result of the filling and purification process.”
What is not yet clear is whether these pollutants are actually dangerous to people.
“This is currently under review,” said study co-author Phoebe Stapleton, a toxicologist at Rutgers. Associated Press. “We don't know if it's dangerous or to what extent. We know they're getting into the tissues (of mammals, including people) … and current research is looking at what they're doing in the cells.”
However, the findings have “significant implications for human health,” according to Grist, because “nanoplastics are small enough to pass through the gastrointestinal tract and lungs.”
“After entering the bloodstream, they can lodge in the heart and brain, and can even cross the placenta to infiltrate unborn babies,” notes Grist.
In addition, toxicologists worry that the particles could release chemicals or pathogens they picked up into the environment.
“Some research suggests potential damage to DNA and the brain, as well as the immune, reproductive and nervous systems,” notes Grist.
“We know we're exposed, but we don't know the toxicity of the exposures,” Beizhan Yan, another of the paper's co-authors and an environmental chemist at Columbia University, told Grist.
Bottled water contains up to 100 times more #plastic than previously estimated, a new study says: https://t.co/LgzCEorLU0 pic.twitter.com/5PhfKrwNy0
— GMO Free USA (@GMOFreeUSA) January 11, 2024
In a statement, the International Bottle Water Association, for its part, dismissed the study as nothing hamburger.
“There is currently a lack of standardized methods (of measurement) and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of nanoplastic and microplastic particles,” they said. “Therefore, media reports of these particles in drinking water only serve to scare consumers unnecessarily.”
To be fair to them, said Dr. Konstantinos Lazaridis, a gastroenterologist who studies the role of environmental factors in liver disease at the Mayo Clinic. The New York Times that the presence of nanoplastics in human tissue “does not necessarily mean that they cause harm”.
“It's possible for small pieces of plastic to simply pass through most people's bodies without causing much harm,” Dr Lazaridis said. Or it may be that these environmental particles only have an impact on people who already have genetic predispositions to the disease,” according to the Times.
The researchers themselves are not at any risk, and all have reportedly reduced their bottled water consumption.
Scientists say they will cut back on bottled water after learning 1 liter contains a quarter of a million pieces of plastic pic.twitter.com/BSln4YWCB6
— People (@people) January 11, 2024
What can you do yourself to reduce your risk, besides drinking less bottled water?
For one thing, drink tap water with a water filter, but make sure the filter itself isn't made of plastic.
“Instead, use ceramic or carbon filters certified by NSF International or the Association for Water Quality,” according to the Times.
Also, when you're traveling, use a glass or stainless steel bottle to store water.
“But if you need to hydrate and all you have access to is a plastic water bottle, that's fine, Dr. [Douglas] Walker said. You can minimize plastic degradation by keeping the bottle away from sunlight and heat,” the Times notes.
Walker is an analytical chemist at Emory University.
Here are some of the most interesting social media responses to this bombshell story:
When I was a kid, we only used glass pitchers. At some point we switched to plastic and I haven't seen a glass pitcher since.
— Alert1 Medical Alert (@Alert1MedAlert) January 9, 2024
I'm sure the supply lines will also have microplastics, but I'm not sure how much. We need to replace plastic with something biodegradable in the food industry as soon as possible.
— Avalon (@AvalonNino) January 11, 2024
This is one of the things that drives me crazy, the myth that bottled water is safer than the strictly regulated municipal water supplies that I know quite a bit about. Bottled water has nothing like the scrutiny of modern water processing plants.
— Planned Longevity: Master Toolbox (@jw243777) January 9, 2024
This is not surprising since then #microplastics i #nanoplastics they are already everywhere, insidious, intrusive and toxic. We are not waiting any longer to ban the manufacture of #not essential #plastics.
It's easy to understand, isn't it?
It's time to open your eyes to the unseen…
— We are not ostriches (@PasDesAutruches) January 10, 2024
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