“Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy.” Sounds very complicated but that is the name of a new article published by the National Academy of Science. It details the results of a study of the amount of nanoplastics—particles of plastic—in bottled water. Yes, the bottled water you drink and make available to your guests.
The study found that the concentration of nanoplastics in bottled water is “orders of magnitude more than the microplastic abundance reported previously in bottled water.” “We estimate that the exposure to the micro-nano plastics from regular bottled water was at the level of 105 particles per liter, which is two to three orders of magnitude more than the previously reported results merely focusing on large microplastics,” the authors stated.
Key to identifying the particles was a new technique employed by the researchers.
An article on Grist about the study says every liter of bottled water contains 240,000 microscopic pieces of plastic.
“To their surprise, most of the particles were not polyethylene terephthalate, or PET—the material most water bottles are made of. Rather, they found more particles of polyamide (a type of nylon) and polystyrene, suggesting that the pollutants are, in a bit of irony, getting into bottled water as a result of the filling and purification process,” Grist said.
“The findings have significant implications for human health, since nanoplastics are small enough to pass through the gastrointestinal tract and lungs,” Grist adds. “After entering the bloodstream, they can lodge in the heart and brain, and can even cross through the placenta to infiltrate unborn babies. It’s not yet clear how the particles impact the body, but toxicologists worry that they could leach chemicals or release pathogens that they picked up while floating around in the environment. Some research suggests potential damage to DNA and the brain, as well as to the immune, reproductive, and nervous systems.”
One of the authors of the study says he opts for tap water whenever possible because it tends to have less plastic contamination.
For years now, many hotels around the world have been phasing out plastic bottled water and instead offering guests easy access to bottle filling stations.
