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Bottled water revealed to have 200,000 tiny plastic bits in new study
New research building on existing knowledge has revealed that the average bottle of water contains around 240,000 detectable plastic fragments.
For some time, scientists and the general public have known of microplastics plaguing just about every inch of the earth. From the polar ice caps to the soil beneath our feet, these microscopic pieces of plastic have an untold number of effects on the environment, us and other animals.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics are two different things
While they might seem very similar, microplastics are whats left when average plastic is broken down over time. Meanwhile, as the name suggests, nanoplastics are what occurs when microplastics are broken down even further.
In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal on January 8, researchers published a new study following tests using Rapid single-particle chemical imaging. Previous studies suggested that the average litre of bottled water contained around 325 particles. The reality is much scarier.
Using the new technology, researchers found that bottled water had 240,000 detectable plastic fragments ready for consumption.
“Previously this was just a dark area, uncharted. Toxicity studies were just guessing what’s in there,” said study coauthor Beizhan Yan. “This opens a window where we can look into a world that was not exposed to us before.”
The study’s lead author, Naixin Qian, added: “People developed methods to see nano particles, but they didn’t know what they were looking at.
Unfortunately, there is still a massive unknown even after the landmark new study. The seven plastic types the researchers searched for only accounted for 10% of all the nanoparticles they found. They have no idea what the rest are.
Why are nanoplastics dangerous?
While the true effect of nanoplastics is still relatively unknown, given the amount of research that has already been done we know that they can pass through the intestines and lungs directly into the bloodstream. From there, they can travel directly into organs like the heart and brain and can even cross through the placenta to the bodies of unborn babies.
