Bottled Water Contains Up to 100 Times More Nanoplastics Than Previously Estimated

New research raises concerns about the potential health impacts of these tiny plastic particles, which can enter the bloodstream and organs.

New research reveals that a liter of bottled water contains nearly a quarter of a million pieces of nanoplastic, 10 to 100 times higher than previously estimated.
Nanoplastics are tiny particles of plastic below 1 micrometer, measured in billionths of a meter, which can potentially enter the bloodstream, organs, and individual cells.
The health effects of nanoplastics are still unclear, with some researchers theorizing they may be behind unexplained disease patterns, such as the increase in colorectal cancers among young people, or the uptick in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Most of the nanoplastic particles found were not polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the material most water bottles are made of, but rather polyamide (a type of nylon) and polystyrene, suggesting that the pollutants are introduced during the filling and purification process.
Experts recommend drinking filtered tap water whenever possible and using glass or stainless steel bottles to reduce exposure to nanoplastics.