Bottled water contains thousands of identifiable harmful nanoplastics: Study

Bottled water contains tens of thousands of identifiable fragments as well as previously unknown nanoplastics in each container posing significant health risk finds a studyIn recent years there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth from polar ice to soil drinking water and foodHowever in the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the researchers focussed on nanoplastics the spawn of microplastics that have broken down even furtherFor the first time the team from the Columbia University in the US could count and identify these minute particles in bottled water using newlyrefined technologyThey found that on average a litre contained some 240000 detectable plastic fragments 10 to 100 times greater than previous estimates which were based mainly on larger sizesNanoplastics are so tiny that unlike microplastics they can pass through intestines and lungs directly into the bloodstream and travel from there to organs including the heart and brainThey can invade individual cells and cross through the placenta to the bodies of unborn babiesPreviously this was just a dark area uncharted Toxicity studies were just guessing whats in there said Beizhan Yan environmental chemist at Columbia Universitys LamontDoherty Earth ObservatoryThis opens a window where we can look into a world that was not exposed to us beforeUsing a technique called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy which involves probing samples with two simultaneous lasers that are tuned to make specific molecules resonate the researchers tested three popular brands of bottled water sold in the US they declined to name which ones analysing plastic particles down to just 100 nanometers in sizeThey spotted 110000 to 370000 particles in each litre 90 per cent of which were nanoplastics the rest were microplasticsThey also determined the specific plastics polyethylene terephthalate or PET polyamide a type of nylon polystyrene polyvinyl chloride and polymethyl methacrylate all used in various industrial processesWhile the plastic types the researchers searched for accounted for only about 10 per cent of all the nanoparticles they found in samples they have no idea what the rest areIf they are all nanoplastics that means they could number in the tens of millions per litre the researchers saidBut they could be almost anything indicating the complicated particle composition inside the seemingly simple water sample the authors wroteThe common existence of natural organic matter certainly requires prudent distinguishmentThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever