Bottled water may contain harmful plastic particles: Study

Startling new research has found that guzzling bottled water may be doing you more harm than good.

A world-first investigation led by American-based journalism organisation Orb Media has revealed that many bottles contain hundreds of plastic particles that have the potential to cause an array of health issues.

Researchers from the State University of New York analysed 250 bottles from 11 major brands around the world. They took samples from 19 different locations in nine countries and discovered that 10.4 plastic particles were found in every litre in many of the bottles. They also found other bottles showed no signs of plastic.

Using a special dye, researchers were able to identify bits of plastic in the bottles that are invisible to the naked eye. The dye is attracted to the plastic and when exposed to wavelengths of light, begins to sparkle. In some cases, the particles were found to be bigger than human strands of hair.

It is feared that the small particles can enter the digestive system and spread to other parts of the body. In addition to plastic, many bottles also contained hundreds of other small particles.

Tests on major brands of bottled water have found that nearly all of them contained tiny particles of plastic https://t.co/24xphZnUjl #BBCNewsTen pic.twitter.com/MLw67mQp2r

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 14, 2018

The report found that popular brands of bottled water including Evian, Nestle and San Pellegrino were contaminated with microplastics including polypropylene, nylon and polyethylene terephthalate. It’s believed the plastic makes its way into the water during the production and packaging process, but there is also the possibility that the plastic contaminates the bottle once it is opened.

Nestle Corporate Affairs Manager Sally Strautins told Starts at 60 that all bottled water they sell is safe. “The safety and quality of our products is our priority. We assure consumers that all of our bottled waters are safe to drink,” she explained. “Over the past two years, we have tested a range of our products, including S. Pellegrino, for the presence of micro-plastics. Systematic analysis is now part of our Yearly Monitoring Plan for all of our finished products, using state-of-the art devices and techniques for clearer identification of micro-plastic traces and to better determine their origin.”

She said that to date, we have not found micro-plastics in Nestle products beyond a trace level. “We invite Orb Media to discuss our respective testing methodologies and to examine our diverging results,” she continued. “There are a number of technical challenges involved with detecting intrinsic micro-plastic compounds in water samples. Indeed, testing methodologies must ensure that results are free from environmental contamination and that they avoid the counting of false-positives related to compounds naturally present in water.”

Joanna McCarthy, Acting Head of Corporate Affairs for Danone, told Starts at 60 that plastic in water is an issue the company was taking seriously. “Microplastic is an emerging issue that we, at Danone Waters but also with the rest of the bottled water industry and the scientific community, are following closely,” she said. “To date, there is no applicable regulatory framework or scientific consensus with respect to the adequate testing methodology or potential impacts of microplastic particles which could be found in any bottling environment. Concerning the study sent to us by Orb Media: Danone Waters is not in a position to comment as some aspects of the testing methodology used remain unclear and there are no details regarding the statistical significance versus the blank value.”

Because so many people regularly drink water from plastic bottles, Orb Media said their research was particularly concerning. “Orb’s findings suggest that a person who drinks a litre of bottled water a day might be consuming tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year,” the study read.

About 2.1 billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water from taps and rely on bottled water as their main source of hydration. Many more simply drink it for convenience.

Most bottled waters available pride themselves on being pure, clean, fresh and safe, making it one of the most profitable beverages in the world, according to the report. It is believed that more than US$147 billion (AU$188.5 billion) is made each year from the sales of the water.

Strautins added that Nestle in particular takes the study very seriously. “Recent scientific investigations show that micro-plastics can be present in the natural environment and may even be ingested through the air we breathe,” she said. “As is the case for many emerging topics, robust evidence is lacking on the potential impact of micro-plastics on human health and whether a safe level of exposure needs to be determined. We welcome further research on the possible effects of micro-plastics on human health.”

Because this is the first study of its kind, researchers also add that further investigations are needed on the matter. 

What do you think? Do you drink bottled water? Are you concerned that you could be unintentionally consuming dangerous levels of plastic?