Hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles found in bottled drinking water
Recently, more and more people prefer to drink bottled water rather than tap water. It was thought to be safer and healthier. However, in a new study, scientists found that the average bottle of water contains more than 200 thousand particles of dangerous nanoplastic.
Microplastic is defined as fragments of plastic less than five millimeters wide, while nanoplastic particles are barely one micrometer in diameter. Studies have shown that they can enter the human body through the mouth, nose and other exposed body parts. Recently, scientists have even found it in the human heart.
Despite the widespread use of plastic, it has been extremely difficult to detect microparticles in the body: traditional methods could only detect particles as small as one micrometer.
Recently, scientists from Columbia University (USA) have applied forced Raman microscopy, a powerful optical imaging technique, to rapidly analyze nanoplastics with unprecedented sensitivity and specificity. The results are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The authors of the research paper tested three popular brands of bottled water. After that, they studied the plastic particles contained in the bottles with sizes as small as 100 nanometers.
It turned out that the average water bottle contains about 240 thousand plastic particles per liter, compared to 5.5 particles per liter in tap water. This is 100 times more than previously estimated by experts. The maximum value was 370 thousand particles per liter of water. Approximately 90% of the particles found were nanoplastics.
Most of all found nanoparticles of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). It is used in the production of bottles, carbonated and sports drinks, as well as ketchup and mayonnaise. PET is most likely to get into the water when it is squeezed or exposed to heat, when pieces flake off.
The scientists also found many particles of polyamide, a type of nylon. According to the authors of the study, it gets into the water because of plastic filters used to purify water before it is bottled. The list also includes polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polymethyl methacrylate (plexiglass).
In May 2023, scientists first described a disease caused by the accumulation of plastic in the body - plastikosis. In this pathology, scarring of internal organs and digestive problems occur. In addition, the researchers associated autism spectrum disorders and ADHD with the plastic component.
Earlier it became known that in 2024 in Russia want to ban the use of colored plastic bottles for drinks. Plastic bottles, according to the organization "Union of energy and environmental safety", it is difficult to recycle due to the fact that it is difficult to separate them from the general garbage.