BOTTLED WATER
More than 90% of the world’s most popular bottled water brands contain
plastic fragments such as polypropylene – the material used to make bottle
caps – and on average contain 325 plastic particles for every litre sold.
That’s the startling finding of an
international study backed by
the World Health Organisation
and non-profit journalism
organisation Orb Media, which has
analysed 259 bottles from nine countries
in five continents across 11 leading
brands. In one popular brand by Nestle,
concentrations are as high as 10,000
plastic pieces per litre – and of the 259
bottles tested from companies such
as Evian, Aquafina and San Pellegrino,
only 17 are plastic free. It’s a topic
that worries Waters Co Australia Scott
Muir, who says his company has been
warning customers for years that, aside
from the ever-growing issue of pollution
associated with bottled water, there are
also significant health issues associated
with bottled water consumption. “That’s
due to no standardised regulation on the
quality of bottled water,” he says. “In the
past, we’ve seen revelations that many
of the biggest bottled water brands are
24 OCTOBER 2018
nothing more than filtered tap water, and
now the industry has been rocked by
the recent expose.” The bottled water
industry is forecasting its unprecedented
growth to continue globally as the fastest
growing beverage market in the world
- valued around US$147 billion per year.
Bottled water can be contaminated by
debris such as nylon, polypropylene and
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the
study says, with 93% of samples testing
positive. Packaged water is a lifeline for
the 2.1 billion people faced with unsafe
drinking water, Orb Media says, with
around 4000 children dying every day
from waterborne diseases. Microplastic
particles smaller than 5mm have been
found in oceans, soil, air, lakes and rivers,
but Norwegian University of Science and
Technology toxicologist Martin Wagner
says while the study shows how intimate
humans’ contact with plastic has become,
there should be no major concerns yet.
“Based on current knowledge, which is
very fragmentary and incomplete, there
is little health concern. The human body
is well adapted to dealing with nondigestible
particles,” he says. As much
as 90% of microplastic will pass through
the gut without incident, with the rest
entering the lymphatic system or into the
kidneys or liver. But other scientists say
assumptions are drawn from scientific
models, not laboratory studies. Nestle
tested six bottles from three locations
after the study was released, and results
showed between zero and five plastic
particles per litre – and the American
Beverage Association says it stands by
the safety of bottled water products.
European Commission food safety
spokeswoman Anca Padurau says
legislation makes it clear there must be
no contaminants. “The US doesn’t have
specific rules for microplastic in food and
beverages.”
• Supervised by leading
microplastic researcher
Professor Sherri
Mason from the State
University of New York
in Fredonia
• Infused each bottle
of waster with a Nile
Red dye that binds to
plastic; then filtered
to 1.5 microns or
0.0015mm – smaller
than a human red
blood cell
• Under a microscope in
the glare of a crimescene
investigation
light and viewed
through orange
goggles, the dyed
plastic particles on
each filter glow
• Bigger particles
analysed by Fourier-
Transform Infrared
spectroscopy, beaming
infrared light into
an object to read its
molecular signature.
• Polypropylene made
up 54% of larger
particles; 16% nylon,
6% PET. While
majority of samples
came in plastic bottles,
water in glass bottles
also registered positive
for microplastic.
WORRY