The association Agir carried out a study with the laboratory Labocea. The goal ? Analyze water bottles from several marques. The association had the displeasure to note that the best-selling brands in France are affected by the presence of these micro-organisms, which are also harmful to the health than for the environment.
78% of water bottles affected by microplastics
This is the terrifying percentage revealed by the association. We are talking regarding the following brands: Badoit, Cristaline, Carrefour, Evian (50 cl and 1 litre), Vittel (33 cl and 1 litre) and Perrier. The bottle that contains the most microplastics is a bottle… for children. This is the Vittel Kids. For 33 cl, it contains 40 microplastics. Or 121 per litre.
“Labocéa identified between 1 and 121 microparticles of plastics per liter” and has “highlighted four different types of plastics” in total, the association tells us in a press release. Where do the particles come from? “Of the bottle, the cork and the bottling process”. When the temperature increases, they proliferate all the more: “Subjected to high heat and light, these water bottles might release even greater quantities of microplastics”.
Note that the microplastics are not biodegradable. They therefore pollute all the places where they are. The oceans, in particular, are very affected, with the local fauna and flora.
It is better to drink tap water
All this comes as no surprise to anyone interested in ecology. In March 2018, American researchers had come to a tragic conclusion. 93% of the water tested contained microplastics. With, in particular, an average of 10.4 microparticles per liter. That is twice as much, on average, as in tap water.
Thanks to this study released under the name “We drink plastic”, we can say that the results of the Americans are confirmed. Seven of the nine bottles contain microplastics of four different types: polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyurethane (PU) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most used for single-use plastic bottles.
But where does this pollution come from? Probably due to the degradation of the bottle (with heat, for example). In any case, this is the most probable hypothesis put forward. But then, we can ask a legitimate question. What are the health risks? Very few studies exist today on the impact of microplastics on our organism.
On the other hand, we know that they enter our body, by ingestion or inhalation. They can then end up in the liver, kidneys, lungs, and even the blood.. In addition, the bottles are designed with plastics that contain toxic additives such as plasticizers, dyes… The risks may be unknown, it is essential to limit this ingestion. So prefer tap water, for you and for your child.
The French are big fans of bottled water
This study is all the more important as France is a major consumer of bottled water. While France has access to drinking water everywhere, the country is the sixth consumer of bottled water in Europe. Italy is in the lead, ahead of Germany, Portugal, Hungary and Spain. This is the result of a study carried out by the European Union of bottled waters.
There are no 36 solutions to stop ingesting so many microplastics. We are lucky to live in a country where people have a choice between tap water and bottled water. You might as well choose the first option rather than the second. Buy a water bottle and fill it as soon as you find a tap. Remember, there are twice as many microplastics in tap water.
The results of this study once once more show the harmful impact of man on the earth. Because if microplastics are harmful for us, they are also harmful for the wildlife and flora. This is yet another example of the disastrous consequences of human activity on the planet.
So for your health, as for the health of the planet, avoid consuming bottled water from now on.
