Rapid Fire
Nanoplastic Contamination in Bottled Water
- 11 Jan 2024
- 1 min read
The latest United States study reveals an alarming reality about bottled water, uncovering the presence of hundreds of thousands of nanoplastic particles underscoring potential health risks.
- Each liter of bottled water contains 110,000 to 370,000 nanoplastic particles. About 90% of these particles are nanosized, posing a higher risk to human health.
- Nanoplastics are even smaller than microplastics, ranging below 1 micrometer in size.
- Unlike microplastics (ranging between 5 millimeters and 1 micrometer), nanoplastics can move from the intestines and lungs directly into the bloodstream before reaching the heart and brain.
- The study found that common plastics in bottled water such as polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) could play a significant role in micro-nano plastics exposure from bottled waters.
- PET used in disposable beverage bottles could leach into water when exposed to heat or squeezed.
Read more: Impact of Microplastics on Gut Microbiomes
