Say No to Plastic: How safe is bottled water?

For many years, bottled water has been branded as a safer alternative to tap water. However, the latest study reveals it may not be as safe and pure as it is considered. This is because it contains nearly a quarter million invisible pieces of ever-so-tiny nanoplastics that were detected and categorised for the first time by a microscope using dual lasers. Let’s take a closer look. Millions of nanoplastics found in bottled water Scientists long figured there were lots of these microscopic plastic pieces, but until researchers at Columbia and Rutgers universities did their calculations, they never knew how many or what kind. According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, looking at five samples each of three common bottled water brands, researchers found particle levels ranged from 110,000 to 400,000 per litre, averaging around 240,000. Nanoplastics are particles that are less than a micron in size. There are 25,400 microns — also called micrometres because it is a millionth of a metre — in an inch. A human hair is about 83 microns wide, according to The Associated Press. The most common type was nylon, which probably comes from plastic filters used to purify the water, followed by polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is what bottles are themselves made from and leaches out when the bottle is squeezed, according to AFP. Other types of plastic enter the water when the cap is opened and closed. The team used a technique called stimulated raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, recently invented by one of the paper’s co-authors. It works by probing samples with two lasers tuned to make specific molecules resonate, revealing what they are to a computer algorithm. Studies in the past have analysed slightly bigger microplastics that range from the visible five millimetres, less than a quarter of an inch, to one micron. The latest study, however, discovered about 10 to 100 times more nanoplastics than microplastics in bottled water. According to study lead author Naixin Qian, a Columbia physical chemist, much of the plastic seems to be coming from the bottle itself and the reverse osmosis membrane filter used to keep out other contaminants. She wouldn’t reveal the three brands because researchers want more samples before they single out a brand and want to study more brands. Still, she said they were common and bought at Walmart. Responding to the study, the International Bottled Water Association said in a statement, “There is currently both a lack of standardised (measuring) methods and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of nano- and microplastic particles. Therefore, media reports about these particles in drinking water do nothing more than unnecessarily scare consumers.” The dangers of nanoplastics to health From the polar ice caps to mountain peaks, microplastics ripple through ecosystems and find their way into drinking water and food. They are so tiny that they can easily pass through the digestive system and lungs, entering the bloodstream directly, and from there to organs, including the brain and heart. They can also cross the placenta into the bodies of unborn babies. The world “is drowning under the weight of plastic pollution, with more than 430 million tonnes of plastic produced annually.” Microplastics are found in the world’s oceans, food, and drinking water, with some of them coming from clothing and cigarette filters, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Efforts for a global plastics treaty continue after talks bogged down in November, as per the report. There is limited research on their impacts on ecosystems and human health; however, some early lab studies have linked nanoplastics to toxic effects, including reproductive abnormalities and gastric issues. According to study co-author Phoebe Stapleton, a toxicologist at Rutgers told AP, “That’s currently under review. We don’t know if it’s dangerous or how dangerous. We do know that they are getting into the tissues (of mammals, including people. And the current research is looking at what they’re doing in the cells.” Outside experts, who praised the new study, agreed that there’s a general unease about the perils of fine plastic particles, but it’s too early to say for sure. Duke University professor of medicine and comparative oncology group director Jason Somarelli, who wasn’t part of the research, said, “The danger of the plastics themselves is still an unanswered question. For me, the additives are the most concerning. We and others have shown that these nanoplastics can be internalised into cells, and we know that nanoplastics carry all kinds of chemical additives that could cause cell stress, DNA damage, and change metabolism or cell function.” Somarelli said his own, not yet published, work has found more than 100 “known cancer-causing chemicals in these plastics.” What’s disturbing, said University of Toronto evolutionary biologist Zoie Diana, is that “small particles can appear in different organs and may cross membranes that they aren’t meant to cross, such as the blood-brain barrier.” Alternatives to bottled water “If people are concerned about nanoplastics in bottled water, it’s reasonable to consider alternatives like tap water,” Beizhan Yan, an associate research professor of geochemistry at Columbia University and a co-author of the paper, told AFP, but added, “We do not advise against drinking bottled water when necessary, as the risk of dehydration can outweigh the potential impacts of nanoplastics exposure.” All four co-authors interviewed said they were cutting back on their bottled water use after they conducted the study. Wei Min, the Columbia physical chemist who pioneered the dual laser microscope technology, said he has reduced his bottled water use by half. Stapleton said she now relies more on filtered water at home in New Jersey. “There’s just no win,” Stapleton said. However, study co-author Beizhan Yan, a Columbia environmental chemist who increased his tap water usage, pointed out that filters themselves can be a problem by introducing plastics. With inputs from agencies