A recent study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials highlights the significant health risks posed by microplastics and nanoplastics found in bottled water, which are often overlooked.

These tiny plastics, ranging from one micron to five millimeters, are released during the manufacturing, storage, and degradation of plastic bottles and are directly ingested from the containers.

Once inside the human body, microplastics and nanoplastics can pass biological barriers, potentially leading to health issues such as inflammation, hormone disruption, reproductive problems, neurological damage, and possibly cancer, though long-term effects are still poorly understood due to limited testing.

Research estimates that individuals ingest between 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles annually, with bottled water consumers ingesting about 90,000 more particles than those who drink tap water.

The issue of plastic waste and pollution, which inspired researcher Sarah Sajedi to pursue her PhD after observing pollution beneath Thailand’s Phi Phi islands, is now linked to the health risks of microplastics in bottled water.

Detection of nano- and microplastics remains challenging because current methods vary in sensitivity and specificity, are often expensive, and are not widely accessible.

While many legislative efforts focus on banning plastics like bags and straws, they largely neglect the urgent problem of single-use water bottles and their contribution to plastic pollution.

Sajedi advocates for increased public awareness and education to address the health risks associated with bottled water consumption, emphasizing that daily intake of microplastics poses chronic health risks that are not well recognized.