Scientists warn bottled water contains 'hundreds of thousands' of plastic particles
Scientists carried out the fascinating research last year.
Scientists that carried out a fascinating study found that bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of mini plastic particles.
While researchers have encouraged people to swap plastic bottles for reusable ones in an effort to help the environment, it has been revealed that as well as sustainable benefits, there are also health ones.
Drinking lots of water is healthy regardless. However, there are differences in where you get your water from and how you consume it.
According to scientists, an average one-litre bottle of water has 240,000 plastic particles inside, which compared to tap water, is a major difference.
The average one litre of tap water has only five and a half plastic particles.
These particles are also called nanoplastics, and they have been linked to multiple health problems, including cancer, birth defects and fertility issues. What makes them dangerous is their size; being so small allows them to easily enter directly into blood cells and the brain.
Reflecting on the information, environmental chemist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the study's co-author, Beizhan Yan, said: "This was not surprising, since that is what many water bottles are made of."
The expert also revealed that it's not only water bottles that the plastic is used for.
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He continued: "PET is also used for bottled sodas, sports drinks, and products such as ketchup and mayonnaise. It probably gets into the water as bits slough off when the bottle is squeezed or gets exposed to heat."
Polyamide, a type of nylon, is another plastic particle discovered to be found in bottles of water.
The researcher added: "Ironically, this probably comes from plastic filters used to supposedly purify water before it is bottled."
Although, there were suspicions surrounding whether bottled water was bad for people's health, Beizhan Yan says the study will open up opportunities to study the "huge world of nanoplastics" that awaits.
A previous version of this article incorrectly reported as fact that scientists had "urged people to stop drinking bottled water". This statement has been removed as there is no evidence to support this. In fact, scientists warned that the study found that plastics had been found in bottled water. We are happy to clarify this and the article has been amended accordingly.
