What happens to your body when you drink bottled water regularly？

Bottled water is everywhere in our daily life。

And you know what？When you drink a bottle of water, thousands of plastic particles can enter your body, including nylon。A recent study found that the amount of microplastics in bottled water has been grossly underestimated。

A 1L bottle of water contains 240,000 pieces of microplastic

According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, environmental chemists and biostatisticians at Columbia University in the United States have found that 1-liter bottles of water contain an average of about 240,000 detectable pieces of plastic, 10 to 100 times more than previously estimated。

The research team selected three brands of bottled water that are popular in the United States for the test, and they used a unique method to make certain molecules oscillate, so that they measured between 110,000 and 370,000 plastic particles per liter of bottled water。Shockingly, about 90 percent of them are nanoplastics, and the rest are microplastics。

Microplastics refer to plastic particles between 1 micron and 5 mm in diameter, while nano-plastics are less than 1 micron in diameter, so small that the human eye is almost imperceptible。These tiny plastic particles are difficult to discharge due to their small size, easier to enter the human body, and bring hidden dangers to our health。

Microplastics are also made of nylon

The researchers also analyzed the composition of these microplastics in the bottled water。In addition to the well-known polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a common material in the manufacture of bottled water and beverage bottles, the largest number of plastic is polyamide (PA), commonly known as nylon or nylon。The finding is shocking because nylon is used in everything from clothing and socks to umbrellas, hats, and even the packaging of some foods。More worryingly, the nylon may have come from plastic filters used to purify water before bottling。

In addition, the researchers also found more microplastic components, including polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which are widely used in various industrial production processes。These identified plastics accounted for only about 10% of all nanoparticles in the sample, and the composition of the remaining 90% was unknown, which undoubtedly increased public concern about the safety of bottled water。

Hazards of microplastics and nanoplastics

In a report presented to a California Senate committee last year, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, noted that animal and laboratory studies have shown that ingesting microplastics can increase the risk of cancer and cause harm to the digestive, reproductive and respiratory systems of humans。Researchers from the School of Ecology and Environment at Hainan University have also linked microplastics and nanoplastics to thyroid and endocrine dysfunction, obesity and insulin resistance。

Of course, the mere detection of nanoplastics in bottled water does not directly prove that it poses a health risk, and the actual effects depend on factors such as toxicity, concentration, exposure time, and the body's reaction to these nanoparticles。However, considering that microplastics and nanoplastics can enter the bloodstream directly and even through the placenta into the unborn baby, we still need to be extremely vigilant。

Drink less bottled water, use less plastic products, and try to choose an environmentally friendly lifestyle, not only to protect the environment, but also to be responsible for our own health。