Posted on 09/25/2024 2:50:12 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Somewhere between 10 per cent and 78 per cent of bottled water samples contain contaminants
One million bottles of water are bought every minute around the globe, researchers say, raising concerns about the impact of microplastics on the health of humans and the planet.
Around two billion people with limited or no access to safe drinking water rely on bottled water. However, many others consider it to be convenient and even potentially safer and healthier than tap water.
That is a misguided belief, according to experts from Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar, who say it is not subject to the same strict quality and safety standards as tap water, and can carry the risk of harmful chemicals leaching from the plastic bottles, especially if they are stored for a long time, and exposed to sunlight or high temperatures.
Somewhere between 10 per cent and 78 per cent of bottled water samples contain contaminants such as microplastics, often classified as hormone disrupters, and various other substances including phthalates, used to make plastics more durable, and bisphenol A, which is also known as BPA.
Writing in a commentary for BMJ Global Health, the authors say microplastic contamination is associated with oxidative stress – an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body that can lead to cell damage, immune system dysregulation, and changes in blood fat levels. BPA exposure has been linked to later-life health issues, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
Dumped plastic bottles floating in the Lepenc river in Kosovo. They are the second most common ocean pollutant. AFP
“While there are short-term safety thresholds, the long-term effects of these contaminants remain largely unknown,” they write, adding that microplastics can also enter the food chain. Microplastics are defined as less than 5mm in length, and have been found everywhere, including in human veins and breast milk.
Tap water is also more environmentally friendly, as plastic bottles are the second most common ocean pollutant, representing 12 per cent of all plastic waste. Globally, only 9 per cent of plastic water bottles are recycled, with most ending up in landfill or incinerators, or exported to low and middle-income countries.
The process of extracting the raw materials and manufacturing plastic bottles also significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. And while some efforts have been made to encourage the use of drinking water in restaurants and public spaces, and to curb the prevalence of single-use plastics, much more needs to be done, write the authors.
Plastic water bottles dumped on Edward Elliot's Beach in Chennai, India. Globally, only 9 per cent of them are recycled. AFP
“Collectively, the accumulated evidence underscores the critical role of government interventions and educational campaigns in shifting public perception and behaviour. These campaigns should highlight the environmental stewardship and health benefits of choosing tap water, effectively driving a cultural change towards more sustainable consumption practices,” the authors write.
The reliance on bottled water incurs significant health, financial and environmental costs, they say. Governments must urgently confront the problem, including in low and middle-income countries where there is a pressing need for them to invest in safe drinking water infrastructure.
“By prioritising tap water consumption, we can collectively address the multifaceted challenges posed by [bottled water] and embrace tap water as a cornerstone of environmental responsibility and public health,” they write.
Plastic bottles on a street in Hanoi, Vietnam. The report highlights the need to invest in safe drinking water infrastructure in some countries. AFP
A 2018 study by researchers in Brazil, Portugal and the US, who looked at bottled water from nine countries, found that 93 per cent of samples contained microplastics, mostly plastic fragments, with fibres the next most prevalent category.
Two years later the publisher Consumer Reports tested 47 bottled waters and found perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), known as “forever chemicals” because they linger in the environment, in “many products”. These chemicals, the source of which was unclear, have been associated with developmental changes, cancer and harm to the immune system, among other effects.
In 2019, in its first report on the issue, the World Health Organisation said microplastics in tap and bottled water do not appear to pose a health risk to humans, because larger particles, and most smaller ones, pass through the body without being absorbed.
However, they also warned that current evidence was fairly limited and much more investigation was needed to determine health threats to humans.
“One million bottles of water on the wall...”
Song for a long trip.
How much drug residue is in YOUR tap water??
That’s a lot of trash....
Make everything glass again. Everything is better in glass. It will never happen. They are hypocrites.
More proof that the general population are low grade idiots.
that sucks...
How much drug residue is in YOUR tap water??
If it’s your tap water it’s in bottle water + plastic bits
Just 10-78%????
None. We are out in the middle of nowhere and have a great well.
And we do use water in plastic bottles, as does my son, but we reuse the bottles until they leak. We fill the bottles and give it to him so he doesn’t have to buy water.
How much drug residue is in YOUR tap water?
I worked at a water treatment plant. It’s impossible to remove drug residue. It survives the evaporation cycle. That’s why I drink spring water. Not to mention the fact that they ad ammonia to the drinking water because ammonia extends the life of the chlorine so that the water is still chlorinated at the furthest ends of the water system. Not to mention flouride which when it comes in to be delivered to dress up in a Hazmat suit with a breathing mask apparatis just to receive the chmical into the plant. No thanks.
Strike fear in the hearts of the populace.
You’ll have them eating out of your hand in no time.
That’s a lot of trips to the bathroom.
It’s a rigged game to some extent.
Potable Water as a utility, implies a common commodity produced at lease cost to a wide market.
Generally, economies of scale make bottled water a laughable response. Perhaps for emergency response until utilities are brought back on line, but even then, emergency storage should last several days of local demand.
8” to 20” pipelines will deliver 1-10 Million Gallons/Day (MGD).
PFAS in bottled water? I’d change bottled water suppliers immediately. No real excuse for PFAS in bottled drinking water.
Whoever thought you could make millions selling water. Looks like selling O2 wil be the next big money maker.
“Whoever thought you could make millions selling water.”
How about those clear plastic bags of air for packing?
Tap water is much safer regarding many things as it is heavily regulated requiring several gov mandated lab tests per day. It has to be safe always while bottled water is not regulated at all it’s treated the same as a bottle of pepsi. Not regulated. I’m not advocating that it should or should not. And tap water is much better for the environment and
I hate having to take bottles back.
Read later.
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