HEALTH

Bottled water contains 240,000 nanoplastics, study finds

Previously undetected particles cause researchers to limit their use — but they urge caution in others over separate health concerns
Adam Vaughan
, Environment Editor
The Times
The US researchers used laser technology to detect the nanoplastics in three unnamed brands
The US researchers used laser technology to detect the nanoplastics in three unnamed brands
GETTY
Adam Vaughan
, Environment Editor
The Times

Bottled water has been found to contain hundreds of thousands of tiny particles of plastic that have not previously been counted, raising questions over the impact on human health.

The problem of bottled water contaminated by microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic between 5mm and 1 micrometre small, has been known about for years. However, US scientists have now discovered on average 240,000 even smaller particles — known as nanoplastics — in every litre of bottled water they tested.

Researchers behind the study said they were limiting their use of plastic bottled water, but were not calling on other people to stop. “I’m not really asking people to stop drinking bottled water, because that could lead to huge health issues,” such as dehydration, said Dr Beizhan