Bottled water might be more harmful for us than we think, study reveals

Bottled water has been a major part of our lives for decades now. Recently, a quarter million undetectable bits of ever-so-small nanoplastics were discovered and classified for the first time by a microscope utilising dual lasers in an average litre of bottled water.

Using a newly developed technique, scientists found an average of 240,000 detectable bits of plastic per litre of water in common brands, which is 10-100 times greater than previous estimates, raising potential health issues that require additional investigation.

Nanoplastic particles can be so small that they can pass right through the stomach and lungs into the blood stream, eventually settling in organs such as the heart and brain, according to researchers.

---

Harmful effects of bottled water

There has been growing concern in recent years that microscopic particles referred to as microplastics are appearing almost entirely on Earth, from arctic ice to soil, water used for drinking, and food.

Disadvantages of bottled water (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by mauricio)

These particles, formed when plastics degrade into increasingly smaller bits, are being swallowed by people and other organisms, with uncertain potential health and environmental repercussions.

Microplastics are fragments that range in size from barely a quarter-inch to 1/25,000th of an inch. When it comes to the amount of microscopic plastic fragments in bottled water (as mentioned before), it is up to 100 times worse than originally assumed.

Cons of using bottled water (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by pixabay)

Nanoplastics are even smaller particles, measuring less than one micrometre in size. In comparison, the width of an individual hair is approximately 70 to 75 micrometres.

A recent study reveals that a litre of water in a plastic bottle had an average of roughly 240,000 identifiable plastic particles, which is 10-100 times higher than prior estimates.

“The existence of microplastics [particles measuring 1 micrometer, or 0.001 millimeter, to 5 millimeters in length] and possibly even nanoplastics [less than 1 micrometer] has recently raised health concerns,” as stated by Beizhan Yan, PHD.

According to the experts, unlike natural organic materials, most plastics do not degrade into harmless compounds.

They simply grind into increasingly smaller fragments of the same substance, without a theoretical limit for how small they could possibly be.

Medical experts are rushing to figure out how these nanoplastics could harm the human body.

Importance of not using bottled water (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by steve johnson)

Co-author Beizhan Yan of this study, done at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said:

“Previously this was just a dark area, uncharted. Toxicity studies were just guessing what’s in there. This opens a window where we can look into a world that was not exposed to us before.”

So far, there has been little investigation into what nanoplastics do after they hit the bloodstream.

However, there is ample evidence that the chemicals employed in plastic manufacture are harmful to human health and animal reproduction.

“There is a huge world of nanoplastics to be studied,” says Min. "Even if nanoplastics make up 90% of the number of plastic particles found in bottled water, they make up far less in mass, he says. In this case that fact provides little comfort: “It’s not size that matters. It’s the number."

---

Miniature plastics are everywhere, floating through the air we breathe and falling like snow on Antarctica.

Techniques like this one, which make this invisible pollution apparent, will be critical in solving the plastics issue.