What is so bad about bottled water

Plastic contamination is rampant in bottled water. That was the unsettling conclusion of a study published last year in Frontiers in Chemistry that analyzed samples taken from 259 bottled waters sold in several countries and found that 93% of them contained “microplastic” synthetic polymer particles.

Many of those particles weren’t all that small. “Some were definitely visible without a magnifying glass or microscope,” says Sherri Mason, author of the study and a sustainability researcher at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

The 11 bottled water brands tested in Mason’s study are among the most popular and widely available in the U.S. and around the world. Samples from the brands tested varied in plastic concentrations, and the average across brands was 325 microplastic particles per liter of bottled water, researchers found. Nestlé Pure Life had the largest average concentration of plastic particles out of all the brands tested; one sample from the brand was found to contain more than 10,000 microplastic particles per liter.

Mason’s findings generated headlines and a World Health Organization announcement that the group plans to investigate the safety of bottled water. (The results of that review should be published later this year, according to a WHO spokesperson.) But Mason says the problem of microplastic contamination is far bigger than bottled H2O. “These plastic particles are in our air, in our water and in our soil,” she says.

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Last month, a study published in Nature Geoscience found that microplastic particles were blowing through the air of the verdant Pyrenees Mountains in France. Another study published this year found microplastic contamination in U.S. groundwater. “Every time and everywhere we look for plastics in a scientific context, we find them,” says Phoebe Stapleton, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Rutgers University.

That includes in people. A small 2018 study analyzed stool samples taken from people in Finland, Japan, Italy, Russia and other countries. Every sample contained microplastics.

“We know that humans are exposed to these particles,” Stapleton says. “We know they get into our body through ingestion and inhalation, and depending on their size, we know they usurp the natural physiological barriers.” This means some of these plastic particles are small enough to pass through the body’s protective tissues and into the bloodstream and organs, she explains.

There’s also evidence in animals and lab tissues that suggests females who are pregnant may pass these microplastics on to their unborn offspring. “Preliminary [rodent] studies from our group, and published studies from others, indicate that after maternal exposure, these particles have the propensity to cross the placental barrier and enter the fetal compartment, depositing in fetal organs,” Stapleton says.

What’s not clear, though, is how this plastic exposure affects human health. “Unfortunately, we do not currently know the toxicological outcomes of these exposures,” she says. The notion that plastics are accumulating in our bodies “is uncomfortable and scary,” she says. “But the studies to prove [negative effects] need to be done.”

Other researchers say we know enough already to deem these plastic exposures a threat to human health. “In animal models and in epidemiological studies in humans, we have a correlation between plastic exposures and known health hazards,” says Frederick vom Saal, a distinguished professor emeritus of biological sciences at the University of Missouri.

He says there’s evidence that plastics and the chemical pollutants that bind to them have toxic effects. “They’re implicated in the obesity epidemic and in other metabolic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as cancer and reproductive problems and neural problems like attention deficit disorder,” he says. “If you look at the trendlines of non-communicable diseases around the world, you see there is a correlation between exposure to these [plastic] pollutants.”

While correlation is not causation, he says, direct cause-and-effect data will be hard to come by. It would be unethical to purposely expose pregnant women to specific plastic particles in order to observe the biological effects. This means the research on microplastics and health will likely always be correlational in nature or taken from animal and lab models, he says.

Based on the existing data, vom Saal says we know enough to recognize that we should change how we interact with—and dispose of—plastics. “A lot of this is a consequence of dumping literally billions of pounds of plastic into the environment,” he says.

A 2017 study found that 79% of all the plastic humans have produced has ended up either in landfills or in nature. In 2010 alone, up to 12 million metric tons were dumped into the world’s oceans, the study found.

Ironically, the volume and variety of plastic-related exposures is another of the major challenges researchers face when attempting to show that these pollutants could be making people sick. “We’re all exposed to so many chemicals every day that if you’re 30 and you develop some rare form of cancer, no one’s ever going to be able to connect that to something you were exposed to,” Mason says. “Making that connection is basically impossible.”

More of Mason’s research has found plastic contamination in tap water, beer and sea salt. While all this suggests that microplastic exposure is unavoidable, Mason says focusing on bottled water is worthwhile for two reasons.

For starters, she says most of the particles her study found in plastic water bottles turned out to be fragments of polypropylene, which is the type of plastic used to make bottled water caps. “This seemed to suggest that it was the act of bottling the water that was contributing most of the plastic,” she says. At the particle sizes she and her colleagues were able to detect and measure, there was “about twice as much” plastic in bottled water compared to tap water or beer, she explains.

“Bottled water is marketed as though it’s cleaner than tap, but numerous studies show it’s definitely not cleaner,” Mason says. “Based on all the data we have, you’re going to be drinking significantly less plastic from tap water out of a glass than if you go and buy bottled water.”

A statement from Nestlé Waters North America included assurances of their water products’ quality and safety. Said Nestlé: “So far, our testing has not detected micro-plastics in our plastic water bottles beyond trace level. It is not possible at this stage to determine exactly where such traces originate from. We have been sharing our expertise and we are collaborating with the scientific community to advance understanding on the topic.”

Another reason to focus on bottled water, Mason says, is that its popularity is a major contributor to the world’s plastic pollution problem. By some estimates, Americans buy 50 million plastic bottles of water annually.

“Forgoing bottled water and plastic bags and plastic straws is a basic thing we could all be doing that can dramatically affect how much plastic ends up in the environment,” she says.

Reducing how much bottled water we drink would also save U.S. consumers billions. “If we took what we spend on bottled water just in the U.S. and we used that instead on water infrastructure,” Mason says, “every person on this planet could have access to clean water three times over.”

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Many people in India depend on bottled water for their daily requirements. As bottled water is easily available, many of us are more than happy to order bottled water from our nearby stores. The question, however, is how do you know that the source of bottled water is safe? With the water contamination rising at an alarming level, it’s time to be aware of the quality of water that you use. Though many people have switched to water purifiers, there are a large number of people who still get bottled water for their daily consumption purposes. If you too depend on bottled water, read the blog to find out why it is time to ditch bottled water and switch to advanced water purifiers.

A storehouse of Toxins

The bottled water that you buy so confidently has a lot of toxins that do more harm than good. The plastic bottles leech chemicals into the water, which can lead to a number of problems. Small plastic bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which leech harmful plastic chemicals and hormone disruptors into the drinking water. The larger bottles generally consist of bisphenol A (BPA), which is a dangerous hormonal disruptor. BPA can lead to serious health issues such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and diabetes and also lead to reproductive disorders.

Unknown Source of Water

Another reason to avoid bottled water is because of its unknown source. The water may not come from the groundwater as claimed by many suppliers. The suppliers who provide you bottled water don’t follow the standards of cleanliness as recommended. Bottled water is not safer or healthier than tap water. The images that they use on the bottled water that you use are only for marketing purposes. The truth is most of the bottled water that you buy is generally sourced from tap water. Some of them are also filled with unhygienic conditions which may lead to water-borne diseases.

A Paradise for Bacteria

Though many of us don’t give a second thought when drinking bottled water after our morning run, the reality is you may be drinking a colony of bacteria. To your surprise, the bottled water that you get is loaded with bacteria, arsenic, and other types of synthetic products that too beyond the permissible limits.

Burns a Hole in your Pocket

Bottled water costs way more than you can imagine. The fact is bottled water is actually 300 times more expensive. Manufacturing the plastic bottles in which the water is stored is quite expensive, which is ultimately paid for by the customer.

Environmental Hazard

Plastic bottles are a hazard to the environment. Though many of us believe that the bottles are recyclable, the reality is plastic bottles are never recyclable. Approximately 80% of the bottles are ultimately either dumped in the garbage or littered posing a great threat to the oceans and marine life.

Also Read: RO Water Purifiers- what makes it a Necessity for Every Home

Finding a Better Option

A Safe Alternative

Considering the harmful effects of using bottled water, it is necessary to look for a safe and pocket-friendly alternative. So, a safe and pocket-friendly alternative that you have is installing a water purifier. However, the question is which water purifier do you need to choose? An easy way out is to get the water quality in your area tested before making the final decision. Based on the quality of water, you can choose from RO, UV, or UF water purifiers.

KENT, being one of the top water purifier brands, offers a range of water purifiers that use different types of technologies to remove contaminants and make water safe for use. The water purifiers come with high storage capacity so that you get purified water on demand. To ensure that there is less wastage, KENT RO water purifiers also come with save water technology that reduces water wastage by 50%. The overall features of the water purifiers not only provide you with completely safe water but is also easy on your pocket.

Last Few Words

A lot of people still prefer using bottled water for consumption. What they do not realize is that using bottled water for everyday consumption is expensive. Plastic bottles also contain some harmful chemicals that may cause deadly diseases. This is the reason why installing a water purifier in your home is the best solution for getting the water that is safe for consumption.

To help you decide which is the best water purifier for your home, KENT provides a free home demo to test the water in your area and give you the right suggestion. Book a free demo today.