93 percent of bottled water
contains microplastics, study says
A study by Orb Media and State
University of New York at Fredonia made
headlines this week for reporting that, of 250 water bottles sourced from 11
brands in nine different countries, 93 percent of the samples were contaminated
with microplastics.
Testing bottles of Aqua, Aquafina,
Bisleri, Dasani, Epura, Evian, Gerolsteiner, Minalba, Nestle Pure Life, San
Pellegrino and Wahaha water from India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico and the United
States, researchers identified 325 particles per liter of water, Fox 28 reported.
However,
some bottles tested featured concentrations up to 10,000 plastic pieces per
liter.
Nevertheless,
Fox 28 pointed out that the joint study has not been subjected to scientific
peer review and has not been published in a journal.
Speaking out against the findings, International Bottled Water Association President and CEO Joe Doss said that "non-peer reviewed
study" aims to “do nothing more than unnecessarily scare consumers,” USA Today reported.
Meanwhile, the World Health
Organization confirmed to BBC that it will
be launching a new investigation to review the potential risks of plastic in
drinking water.
"It's
not about pointing fingers at particular brands; it's really showing that this
is everywhere, that plastic has become such a pervasive material in our society,
and it’s pervading water - all of these products that we consume at a very
basic level,” said Sherri Mason, a professor of chemistry at SUNY Fredonia who
contributed to the study, told BBC.
Though
there is no evidence to date that ingesting microplastics is harmful to the
human body, the researchers believe that the implications need to be better
understood.
"It's
not catastrophic, the numbers that we're seeing, but it is concerning,” Mason
said.
The
World Health Organization did not immediately return Fox News’ request for
comment.
.
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