cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/7345931
The average liter of bottled water has nearly a quarter million invisible pieces of ever so tiny nanoplastics, detected and categorized for the first time by a microscope using dual lasers.
Scientists long figured there were lots of these microscopic plastic pieces, but until researchers at Columbia and Rutgers universities did their calculations they never knew how many or what kind. Looking at five samples each of three common bottled water brands, researchers found particle levels ranged from 110,000 to 400,000 per liter, averaging at around 240,000 according to a study in Monday’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
These are particles that are less than a micron in size. There are 25,400 microns — also called micrometers because it is a millionth of a meter — in an inch. A human hair is about 83 microns wide.
Previous studies have looked at slightly bigger microplastics that range from the visible 5 millimeters, less than a quarter of an inch, to one micron. About 10 to 100 times more nanoplastics than microplastics were discovered in bottled water, the study found.
. . .
The important part:
Researchers still can’t answer the big question: Are those nanoplastic pieces harmful to health?
“We do know that they are getting into the tissues (of mammals, including people) … and the current research is looking at what they’re doing in the cells.”
So… probably bad? But 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
We won’t get to find out because it would be bad for profits
As someone that relies on bottled water to survive (no rainwater tank, low rain area, no access to mains water, only undrinkable bore water due to rural location)… fuck.
For those that don’t know micro plastics act like estrogen in your system and accumulate.
Turns out this true is for plastics generally, so no ingestion of microplastics necessary. This applies to just drinking water out of a water bottle.
