Members of the Enviroplanet plastics research network, formed by several Spanish research groups specialized in plastic pollution and thanks to an agreement signed by the Autonomous University of Madrid in collaboration with the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), have published a study in the journal Scientific Reports on the presence of microplastics in bottled water.
By now it is clear to all of us that drinking water helps to maintain our health. But when we do so, in addition to the fluid, we may be ingesting different compounds and natural and artificial particles that are not so healthy if they exceed a certain concentration. One of them are plastics.
Plastics were first manufactured in the 20th century to meet the needs of the society of the time and thanks to their extraordinary characteristics they have remained among us offering multiple solutions.
Some of the properties that make them perfect materials to be used in different areas of society are their great diversity of shapes and sizes, their resistance, impermeability, low production cost and great durability. All this makes it possible to manufacture an endless number of products with different utilities that are widely used in our daily life.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the production of plastic products, resulting in the generation of approximately 400 million tons of this material per year worldwide. This high figure and its great durability are the cause of great negative impacts on the environment and on living beings, since not 100% of the plastic waste produced is recycled.
Once these plastics enter the natural environment, they undergo a degradation process, turning into increasingly tiny particles, giving rise to what we know as microplastics.
These microplastics are characterized by a size ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm. They have already been found in all the environments analyzed - atmosphere, oceans, soil... - and even in the food and water we drink.
Microplastics in bottled water
Members of the Enviroplanet plastics research network, formed by several Spanish research groups specialized in plastic pollution, published last year a study in the journal Water Research on the presence of microplastics and non-plastic artificial particles in the drinking water of eight Spanish cities.
This year, the same Enviroplanet researchers, thanks to an agreement signed by the Autonomous University of Madrid, in collaboration with the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), have published a study in the journal Scientific Reports on the presence of microplastics in bottled water.
For this work, we analyzed bottles from five of the main bottled water brands, which together represent 40% of the non-carbonated bottled water market in Spain. For each water brand, a total of 45 liters contained in 1.5-liter plastic (PET) bottles were processed.
The final results have made it possible to compare the concentration of microplastics and artificial non-plastic materials in bottled water with that found in tap water, in order to determine whether there are significant differences between the two sources.
Different microplastics
In our study we have identified mainly fragments of polyesters of transparent and white shades, which coincides with the typical composition of water bottles, as well as cellulose fibers of various colors.
In tap water, however, we detect a greater diversity of polymers, including polyesters, polyamides, acrylic polymers and polyolefins. These commonly used materials have varied origins, from synthetic textiles to food packaging, paints or household appliances.
It is important to note that although polyesters, of which polyethylene terephthalate or PET is a part, are present in both samples, their abundance is lower in tap water compared to bottled water.
The mean concentration of microplastic particles (MP) in bottled water was about 0.7 MP/L, while the concentration of non-plastic particles of artificial origin (PANP) was about 1.70 PANP/L. These data show a higher presence of microplastics in bottled water compared to tap water, where the mean concentration was 0.0125 MP/L and 0.0322 PANP/L.
Health effects: should we be concerned?
Although the concentration of microplastics in bottled water is significantly higher than in tap water, it is very unlikely that plastic ingested by this route would cause adverse effects in humans because the amount ingested by total weight is tiny. However, there are no studies to date that demonstrate whether these concentrations can cause harm in humans.
However, the precautionary principle requires caution about the risk of plastic contaminants in drinking water. It is essential that governments and regulators support studies to develop informed policies on contaminants in food and water and encourage the use of the cleanest possible sources, in this case tap water, which is cost-effective and environmentally friendly and reduces the amount of plastic waste generated and therefore the associated carbon footprint.
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