2024-01-09 15:05:50
According to a recent study, published Monday in the journal PNAS, bottled water contains up to 100 times more tiny plastic particles than previously estimated. Using an innovative technique, scientists counted an average of 240,000 detectable plastic fragments per liter of water, following testing the product of several popular brands.
Nanoplastics have attracted more and more attention in recent years, and are present everywhere on the planet. Microplastics are less than 5,000 micrometers (or 5 millimeters), while nanoplastics are less than a micrometer. They are so small that they can enter the blood system and therefore even the organs, including the brain and the heart.
Possible consequences on health
Research into their consequences on ecosystems and human health is still limited, but some studies have already highlighted harmful effects, for example on the reproductive system.
For their study, the researchers used a brand new technique using lasers. They tested three water brands, without revealing their names: “We believe that all bottled waters contain nanoplastics, so highlighting some of them might be considered unfair,” explained Beizhan Yan.
The results showed that each liter contained between 110,000 and 370,000 particles per liter, of which 90% were nanoplastics, the rest being microplastics. The most common type found was nylon – likely from plastic filters used to purify water – followed by polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which the bottles are made of.
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