Microplastics Found In 93% Of Bottled Water: Are They Harmful?

A recent study shows that plastic particles are found in more than 90% of samples from the world’s most popular bottled water brands.

The analysis was conducted by the State University of New York in Fredonia as part of a project from the U.S.-based journalism organization Orb Media. It involved 259 bottles of water from 11 brands across nine countries. They were bought in from China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya, Thailand and the U.S.

These leading international brands were:

Aqua (Indonesia)

Bisleri (India)

Epura (Mexico)

Gerolsteiner (Germany)

Minalba (Brazil)

Wahaha (China)

—Charted by Statista

Of all the bottles tested, only 17 were found to be free of plastic. On average, each liter sold contained 325 pieces of microplastic, including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate. In one case, a bottle of Nestlé Pure Life contained more than 10,000 pieces of microplastic. High levels were also found in bottles of Bisleri (5,230), Gerolsteiner (5,160) and Aqua (4,713).

In conclusion, tests of 250 bottles from 11 bottled water brands revealed microplastics in 93 percent of the samples, with an average of 325 particles per 34 fluid ounces (1 liter) of water. The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it is launching a review of the potential risks of plastic particles in drinking water.

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Harmful effects of drinking bottled water

Although the WHO says the impact of digesting plastic on human health is unknown, you should probably avoid drinking bottled water for several reasons.

Plastic bottles are not sustainable

Bottled water is big business with billions in sales worldwide. 1,000,000 bottles of water are bought every minute while less than 50% of them are collected for recycling and only 7% of them are turned into new bottles. Vast quantities of fossil fuels and water are used to make the plastic water bottles. As these bottles are not biodegradable, what you drink in a few minutes can stick around on earth for a thousand years.

—Source: Euromonitor

Bottled water contains BHPF and other toxins

Traditional bottled water usually contains BPA, which can disrupt our hormones. It is gradually phased out of plastic packaging now – but the substitute, fluorene-9-bisphenol, or BHPF is found to affect the body’s estrogen receptors. In tests on female mice, BHPF caused the animals to have smaller wombs and smaller pups than controls, and in some cases miscarriages. Other harmful chemicals can also seep out if the bottles are exposed to heat or sit around for a long time.

There ARE gorgeous alternatives for on-the-go water!

Choose a reusable, BPA/ BHPF-free bottle in whatever size or shape and design you like. Turn on the water tap on your refrigerator water dispenser and fill in as much clear water as you want! Clatterans refrigerator water filters are always here serving safety in style.