Beware, there are microplastics in our bottled mineral water, says study

Bottled water, branded as the safest and purest water for consumption, has been found to be contaminated with microplastics, which is extremely harmful for human intake, a recent study has revealed.

The study, led by US-based non-profit organisation Orb Media, collected 259 bottled water samples from 27 different lots across 11 brands, spanning nine countries. Top global brands, such as Aquafina and Evian, as well as Bisleri from India, were picked up for analysis from major cities, including New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

The report said that a one-litre water bottle contains 10.4 microplastic particles, which is twice as much found in tap water. Plastics were found to be the major contaminant in 93% of samples, with major proportions of polypropylene (used to make plastic bottlecaps), nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A Bisleri sample sold in Chennai was found to have over 5,000 microplastic particles per litre.

"This study was a follow-up of a tap water study released in September 2017. We found roughly twice as much plastic particles within bottled water as compared to tap water on an average," the report said.

The size range of particles varied from 6.5 microns to 100 micron (0.10mm). Smaller particles were found to be more common, about 325 per litre.

The study claimed that many bottled water brands just filtered municipal tap water. To test the quality, samples were purchased from a number of locations. Only 17 bottles out of the 259 bottles analysed showed no microplastic contamination.

The study has documented retail purchase, package preparation and other details, researchers said. International brands scanned for its composition and content were Dasani, Nestle Pure Life, and San Pellegrino. Country market leaders Aqua (Indonesia), Epura (Mexico), Gerolsteiner (Germany), Minalba (Brazil), Wahaha (China) were also tested.

Though the researchers were startled by the findings, they could not quantify the extent and consequences of it on human health. Statistics portal Statista said global consumption of bottled water touched 391 billion litres in 2017 from 288 billion litres in2012. The bottled water market, valued at $147 billion per year globally, is the fastest-growing beverage market in the world.

With PTI Inputs