Microplastics are contaminating the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink
If you’re the type to get squeamish about the things you accidentally eat, you’re not going to like the new report released by the WWF (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund) this Tuesday. According to the report, we might be eating a credit card’s worth of microplastic every week, thanks to widespread contamination of drinking water and seafood. But it’s still unclear how this consumption could be affecting our health.
The report is largely based on commissioned research conducted by scientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia. They reviewed more than 50 existing studies looking at how often microplastics—small particles of plastic, often broken down from larger fragments of plastic, that pollute the environment—end up in our food and water. From there, they came up with the rough estimate that the average person eats five grams of plastic weekly, or the equivalent of a credit card.
Digging deeper, they also sketched out where this plastic was coming from. While the amount might differ, depending on the country, the vast majority of plastic we eat comes from our water, both tap and bottled, they found. After that, shellfish, beer, and even salt—in that order—are also common sources of plastic. And though the average amount of plastic we inhale from the air might be small in comparison, they added, people in certain areas could still be getting quite a whiff.
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Microplastic Contamination Is Found in Most Bottled Water, a New Study Says
Drinking from a plastic water bottle likely means ingesting microplastic particles, a new study claims, prompting fresh concerns — and calls for scientific research — on the possible health implications of widespread plastics pollution.
A study carried out on more than 250 water bottles sourced from 11 brands in nine different countries revealed that Microplastic contamination was nearly universal, found in more than 90% of the samples.
The study, by journalism organization Orb Media and researchers at the State University of New York at Fredonia, found an average of 10.4 microplastic particles about the width of a human hair per liter. That’s about twice the level of contamination discovered in the group’s earlier study on the ubiquitous plastic contamination in tap water across the globe, with the highest rate found in the U.S.
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WHO launches health review after microplastics found in 90% of bottled water
Researchers find levels of plastic fibres in popular bottled water brands could be twice as high as those found in tap water
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water after a new analysis of some of the world’s most popular bottled water brands found that more than 90% contained tiny pieces of plastic. A previous study also found high levels of microplastics in tap water.
In the new study, analysis of 259 bottles from 19 locations in nine countries across 11 different brands found an average of 325 plastic particles for every litre of water being sold.
In one bottle of Nestlé Pure Life, concentrations were as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per litre of water. Of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 were free of plastics, according to the study.
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Bottled water in Singapore meets safety standards: AVA
Samples of bottled drinking water in Singapore tested by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority's (AVA) as part of routine laboratory tests meet its safety standards, it told Channel NewsAsia on Friday (Mar 16).
AVA said it routinely takes samples of bottled drinking water for laboratory testing to ensure compliance with food safety standards.
Those that fail its inspection and laboratory tests will not be allowed for sale.
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The Straits Times 16 March at 08:25
AVA will continue to "monitor international scientific developments on the issue of microplastics and conduct its risk assessment".
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Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles
The world's leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that are likely seeping in during the packaging process, according to a major study across nine countries published on Wednesday (Mar 14).
"Widespread contamination" with plastic was found in the study, led by microplastic researcher Sherri Mason of the State University of New York at Fredonia, according to a summary released by Orb Media, a US-based non-profit media collective.
Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.
related: Bottled water in Singapore meets safety standards: AVA
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Bottled water: WHO launches plastic health review
It will assess the latest research into the spread and impact of so-called microplastics - particles that are small enough to be ingested.
It comes after journalism organisation Orb Media found plastic particles in many major brands of bottled water.
There is no evidence that microplastics can undermine human health but the WHO wants to assess the state of knowledge.
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Microplastics Found in Global Bottled Water, A 147 Billion Dollars Annual Market
But new research by Orb Media, a nonprofit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., shows that a single bottle can hold dozens or possibly even thousands of microscopic plastic particles.
Tests on more than 250 bottles from 11 brands reveal contamination with plastic including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). When contacted by reporters, two leading brands confirmed their products contained microplastic, but they said Orb’s study significantly overstates the amount.
For plastic particles in the 100 micron, or 0.10 millimeter size range, tests conducted for Orb at the State University of New York revealed a global average of 10.4 plastic particles per liter. These particles were confirmed as plastic using an industry standard infrared microscope.
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Global study finds microplastics in 93% of bottled water, but little known about effect on humans
Bottled drinking water is often contaminated with small particles of plastic, says a new study, and the industrial bottling process may be to blame.
Dr. Sherri Mason and her team at the State University of New York Fredonia analyzed 259 bottles from nine countries and found 93 per cent of the bottles showed signs of microplastic contamination. The research was part of a global investigation into bottled water done by Orb Media.
There are currently no specific regulations regarding quantity of microplastics in bottled water in Canada, the United States or Europe, likely because there isn’t enough scientific evidence to suggest how much plastic exposure can be harmful to humans.
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New Orb Media Reporting Finds Microplastics in Global Bottled Water
New Orb Media research and reporting shows that a single liter of bottled water can contain thousands of microplastic particles. Exclusive tests on more than 250 bottles from 11 leading brands worldwide reveal widespread contamination with plastic debris including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Plastic was identified in 93 percent of the samples. The global average was 325 particles per liter. Particle concentration ranged from zero to more than 10,000 likely plastic particles in a single bottle. The study was supervised by Dr. Sherri Mason, Chair of the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at the State University of New York at Fredonia, a leading microplastics researcher.
What this means for human health is unknown. Brands tested included Aqua (Danone), Aquafina (PepsiCo), Bisleri (Bisleri International), Dasani (Coca-Cola), Epura (GEPP*), Evian (Danone), Gerolsteiner (Gerolsteiner Brunnen), Minalba (Grupo Edson Queiroz), Nestlé Pure Life (Nestlé), San Pellegrino (Nestlé), and Wahaha (Hangzhou Wahaha Group).
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Micro-plastics presence in bottled water controversy; companies argue they operate at highest standards
Experts have told the BBC that people in developing countries where tap water may be polluted should continue to drink water from plastic bottles.
Test on major brands of bottled water have found that nearly all of them contained tiny particles of plastic. In the largest investigation of its kind, 250 bottles bought in nine different countries were examined. Research led by journalism organization Orb Media discovered an average of 10 plastic particles per liter, each larger than the width of a human hair.
Companies whose brands were tested told the BBC that their bottling plants were operated to the highest standards. The tests were conducted at the State University of New York in Fredonia. Sherri Mason, a professor of chemistry at the university, conducted the analysis and told BBC News: “We found [plastic] in bottle after bottle and brand after brand.
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Drinking 1L bottled-water may mean consuming thousands of microplastic-particles
A US-based non-profit has found alarming results: about 90% of all bottled water, including in India, is contaminated by microplastics.
Hence someone who drinks a liter of bottled water a day might be consuming thousands of microplastic particles every year.
In fact, the variability in such particles is "similar to...(that of) open water bodies" when sampled for microplastic pollution.
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Why Is There Plastic In My Bottled Water?
Tests on some of the world’s most popular water brands have found that almost all of them contain tiny particles of plastic.
Analysis of 259 bottles of water, which were produced by 11 brands and bought in nine different countries, revealed that micro-plastics were present in 93% of the samples.
The study, commissioned by US journalism project Orb Media, found an average of 325 plastic particles per litre of water sold.
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Industry response to research claiming to have found microplastic particles in bottled water
The non-peer reviewed study released by Orb Media is not based on sound science, and there is no scientific consensus on testing methodology or the potential health impacts of microplastic particles. Therefore, this study’s findings do nothing more than unnecessarily scare consumers. Scientific experts in the field told the BBC News, “The particles below 100 microns had not been identified as plastic” [emphasis added] and that “since the alternatives would not be expected in bottled water, they could be described as probably plastic" [emphasis added]. Those not-identified substances made up the vast majority of particles counted. The study even acknowledged that the make-up of those particles was not confirmed but could "rationally expected to be plastic.”
The study’s “probably plastic” findings are weak at best and reporting it as news is alarmist and not responsible journalism. Microplastic particles are found everywhere – soil, air, and water. And, as the report states, currently there is no evidence that microplastics can cause harm to consumers. Orb Media is not an objective news outlet. In the past, Orb Media has shown itself to be an organization that has preconceived positions on issues and produces studies that support its point of view.
Consumers can remain confident that bottled water products, like all food and beverages, are strictly regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and, thus, are safe for consumption. The bottled water industry is committed to providing consumers with the safest and highest quality products.
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Here's How Plastic Harms Your Health
Those of you who think bottled water is safer than tap water, hold on tightly to your bottles because this is going to shock you. Freedonia State University of New York has released findings of a study that will truly shake you belief in your trusted bottled water. Researchers from the university studied 11 of the most popular bottled water brands. And 93 percent of them contain tiny amounts of plastic. In every bottle, there were an average of 325 plastic pieces and 10,000 pieces in every litre. Only 17 bottles out of 259 picked for the study were devoid of plastics.
Most of the plastic particles found in the drinking water was polypropylene, the same type used to make bottle caps. The findings are yet to be published in a journal. After these reports were released, WHO has announced that it would launch a review about the health risks of ingesting plastic through drinking water.
Sadly for us, India also figures among the countries where plastic was found and that can’t be good news. Plastics pose a big health risk to human health. Here are some of the ways in which it can harm your health:
- Plastic can disrupt your hormones
- Plastic can increase cancer risk
- Plastic can cause birth defects
- Plastics can affect male fertility
- Plastic is linked to respiratory problems
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Bottled water not safe from microplastic contamination
Advertisements for bottled water tend to play on themes of purity and healthy living. If sales figures are anything to go by, many of us seem to be buying into that. The global industry is worth €119 billion ($147 billion) a year. But original research and reporting by the global journalism organization Orb Media, and shared with DW, muddies the association.
The first of its kind on a global scale, the research tested bottled water from 11 brands bought at 19 locations in nine countries around the world for microplastics. The contaminant was identified in 93 percent of samples — in sometimes greatly varying quantities.
In a world where, according to forecasts by online statistics portal Statista, we will be drinking 391 billion liters of bottled water in 2017 — up from 288 billion liters in 2012 — the study begs the question: Is consuming such tiny plastic particles safe?
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Plastic in bottled water: no cause for panic, microplastics will not kill you
Stop panicking. Nobody has any concrete information on what microplastics would actually do to your innards. The US-based Orb Media report that tested more than 250 bottles from 11 brands revealed the presence of plastic including “polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)”.
You look at a bottle of water, and unless you see actual stuff floating around in it, you believe the advertising and reach for it. But, all is not as clear as it appears to be.
There are connections to increases in certain kinds of cancer to lower sperm count to increases in conditions like ADHD and autism. We know that they are connected to these synthetic chemicals in the environment and we know that plastics are providing kind of a means to get those chemicals into our bodies.”
Sherri Mason, Researcher, on results of plastic contamination:
If you drink an average of two litres of water a day, you are consuming about 511875 pieces of microplastic, as per the study results. Are you imagining a plastic lump at the bottom of your belly, floating around, surviving the next millennia despite you not being around?read more
Full Coverage:
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