Is Bottled Water Safe Enough? Study Shows Presence of Nanoplastics in Them

In a recent study conducted by Columbia University, research professionals have found an unknown danger from the plastic water bottle i.e. nanoplastics, infinitely small particles that are shortened to a nanoscale that size up to 1,000th the width of a human hair. These minute particles are present in plastic water bottles and it was much less earlier and now it is at 10 to 100 levels higher than before.

These very tiny particles can travel through the tissues of the digestive area or lungs and can enter into the blood flow, spreading unnatural chemicals in the entire body. In this article, we will further discuss the study revealing the danger of nanoplastics in plastic water bottles and the possible risks.

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A study explaining the risk of nanoplastics

Why are plastic bottles harmful to us? (image by 8photo on freepik)

The study was published on Monday by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and it explained the advancement of Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) microscopy, developed by coauthor Beizhan Yan who is an environmental chemist, and his team used to detect, count, and deeply study the structure of nanoplastics. The study showed that the plastic-bottled 1-liter water can contain almost 240,000 plastic particles, 90% of which are nanoplastics and the rest are microplastics.

Sherri Sam Mason is the director of sustainability at Penn State Behrend in Erie, Pennsylvania and she was not involved in the study but was involved in the 2018 study which revealed the existence of nanoplastics and microplastics, she said,

“People don’t think of plastics as shedding but they do, in almost the same way we’re constantly shedding skin cells, plastics are constantly shedding little bits that break off, such as when you open that plastic container for your store-bought salad or a cheese that’s wrapped in plastic.”

The study also discovered the negative effect of plastic polymer, which means that along with nanoplastics, plastic bottles shed polymers of plastics whose possible risks are yet to be found because of the technology restriction.

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Possible risks to human health

We should avoid plastic-wrapped foods and beverages (image by artphoto_studio on freepik)

As Jane Houlihan who is the research director of the Healthy Babies, Bright Futures, suggested in an email to CNN,

“They suggest widespread human exposures to minuscule plastic particles posing largely unstudied risks, infants and young children may face the greatest risks, as their developing brains and bodies are often more vulnerable to impacts from toxic exposures.”

Mason explained the risks of nanoplastics,

“All of those chemicals are used in the manufacturing of plastic, so if a plastic makes its way into us, it’s carrying those chemicals with it. And because the temperature of the body is higher than the outside, those chemicals are going to migrate out of that plastic and end up in our body,”

Nanoplastics are dangerous because they are so tiny that they allow them to reach the insides of the body pretty feasibly and can cause harm to the vital organs by spreading synthetic chemicals such as bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, and heavy metals. These particles affect infants and young children as the study performed on pregnant mice revealed that harmful chemicals were deposited onto the vital organs of the developing baby within 24 hours.

Houlihan advised some preventive measures,

“We can avoid consuming foods and beverages in plastic containers. We can wear clothing made from natural fabrics and buy consumer products made from natural materials, we can simply take stock of the plastic in our daily lives and find alternatives whenever feasible.”

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The study conducted by Columbia University showed the harmful effects of drinking water from plastic bottles as it spreads synthetic chemicals to the entire body. Hence, it is suggested to drink tap water from glass or stainless-steel glasses and try to avoid packaged foods.