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In the News, Winter 2023-24: Plastic Particles in Bottled Water Far Exceed Estimates
Researchers using a new microscopy technique have found that common brands of bottled water contain, on average, approximately 240,000 detectable plastic fragments per liter—a number 10 to 100 times greater than previous estimates. About 90% of these are nanoplastics, tiny particles less than 1 micrometer in size and measured in billionths of a meter.
This study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at three popular brands of water using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, which involves probing samples with two lasers simultaneously. The researchers detected 110,000 to 370,000 plastic fragments in each liter, including plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), from which many water bottles are made; polyamide, used in some water filters; polystyrene; polyvinyl chloride; and polymethyl methacrylate.
Toxicity from plastic pollution is a growing concern, with worldwide plastic production approaching 400 metric tons per year. Microplastics, whether manufactured intentionally or formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, are becoming ubiquitous, found everywhere from polar ice to soil, food, water, and human tissues. Nanoplastics are believed to be more toxic than the larger microplastics, which measure 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters in length, because their smaller size makes it easier for them to enter the human body.
Sources:
Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits, study finds. Columbia Climate School, January 8, 2024. news.climate.columbia.edu/2024/01/08/bottled-water-can-contain-hundreds-of-thousands-of-previously-uncounted-tiny-plastic-bits-study-finds.
Qian N, Gao X , Lang X, et al. Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2024;121(3):e2300582121. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2300582121.
Published in the Journal of Health and Healing™
Winter 2023-24 | Volume 47, Number 4
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