THOUSANDS of microplastic particles float in a liter of bottled water, according to a new research conducted by nonprofit journalism organization, Orb Media.
The study led by Dr Sherri Mason, Chair of the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at the State University of New York at Fredonia examined 250 bottles from 11 leading global brands. It revealed plastic debris in 93% of the samples: polypropylene (usually found in caps) 54%; nylon 16; polystyrene 11%; Polyethelyn 10%; polyester/polyethylene terephthalate 6%; and others (Azlon, polyacrylates copolymers) 3%. Fragments were the most common morphology (66%) followed by fibers. Data show contamination partially came from the packaging and/or the bottling process.
The global average was 325 particles per liter. Particle concentration ranged from zero to more than 10,000 likely plastic particles in a single bottle.
Orb Media tested 11 popular brands, Aqua (Danone, in Indonesia), Aquafina (PepsiCo), Bisleri (Bisleri International, India), Dasani (Coca-Cola), Epura (GEPP, Mexico), Evian (Danone), Gerolsteiner (Gerolsteiner Brunnen, in Germany), Minalba (Grupo Edson Queiroz, in Brazil), Nestlé Pure Life (Nestlé), San Pellegrino (Nestlé), and Wahaha (Hangzhou Wahaha Group, China).
Samples came from 19 locations in nine countries on five continents including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States. The majority of the samples came in plastic bottles. Water in glass bottles also held microplastic.
Microplastics were identified through Nile Red tagging, a method in which dye adsorbs to plastics and makes them fluorescent when irradiated with blue light.1
1https://www.nature.com/articles/srep44501
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