Are You Drinking Plastic?

You’ve just finished soccer practice. Feeling hot and thirsty, you crack open a plastic bottle of water and gulp it down. But beware: That bottle contains more than just a refreshing drink. Recent research has found that every liter of bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic particles and fibers too small to see with the naked eye.

The study adds to a growing pile of evidence that plastic particles enter our bodies through food, drinks, and even the air we breathe. Plastic bits get into drinks and foods through contact with their plastic containers or wrappers. They also come from plastic litter in the environment. This plastic releases particles into the water supply and soil, which plants absorb and animals consume. The particles end up in all kinds of meats, vegetables, fruits, packaged foods, and beverages we eat and drink.

You’ve just finished soccer practice, and you’re hot and thirsty. So you open a plastic bottle of water and gulp it down. But beware. That bottle contains more than just a refreshing drink. Recent research shows that every liter of bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic particles and fibers. They’re too small for the naked eye to see.

The study adds to the growing evidence about a problem with plastic. Plastic particles enter our bodies through food, drinks, and even the air we breathe. Plastic bits get into drinks and foods from plastic containers or wrappers. They also come from plastic litter in the environment. This plastic releases particles into the water supply and soil. Plants absorb them and animals eat them. The particles end up in all kinds of meats, vegetables, fruits, packaged foods, and beverages. Then we eat and drink them. 

Plastic is everywhere. Manufacturers produce hundreds of millions of tons of this material each year (see How Much Plastic?). Plastic is composed of polymers, large molecules made up of repeating units. It’s cheap to produce and durable. These qualities make plastic pollution a big problem. Unlike wood, paper, or metal, discarded plastic doesn’t biodegrade, or naturally break down. Instead, it disintegrates into microplastics, plastic bits less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) across—just about anything smaller than a pencil’s eraser. Even recycling doesn’t solve the microplastics problem: Recycling facilities chop or shred plastic before melting it, releasing huge amounts of microplastics into the environment.

Plastic is everywhere. Manufacturers produce hundreds of millions of tons of it each year. The material is made of polymers. These are large molecules of repeating units. Plastic is cheap to produce and long-lasting. These qualities make plastic pollution a big problem. Wood, paper, and metal biodegrade. But plastic doesn’t naturally break down. Instead, it crumbles into microplastics. These plastic bits are less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) across. That’s almost anything smaller than a pencil’s eraser. Even recycling doesn’t solve the microplastics problem. Recycling facilities chop or shred plastic before they melt it. That releases huge amounts of microplastics into the environment.

Now a team of scientists has developed a way to detect nanoplastics less than one-thousandth of a millimeter across, smaller than a bacterium. In a recent study, they found an average of 240,000 plastic particles per liter of bottled water—more than 10 times as much as previous estimates. The team used a microscope that shines two lasers, or concentrated light beams, onto samples. One laser hits the atoms in plastic particles, making them move. The other laser sends information about that movement to a computer. This allowed the researchers to measure the number of particles and—in some cases—identify specific types of plastic.

The researchers tested samples from three popular brands of bottled water. They found particles of the types of plastic used to make the bottles and their caps. They also found particles of plastics used in water filters and pipes. The remaining particles haven’t yet been matched to likely sources.

Now a team of scientists has found a way to detect much smaller nanoplastics. These are less than one-thousandth of a millimeter across. They’re smaller than a bacterium. In a recent study, the scientists found an average of 240,000 plastic particles per liter of bottled water. That’s more than 10 times as much as anyone had counted before. The team used lasers, or concentrated light beams. A microscope shines two lasers onto samples. One laser hits the atoms in plastic particles and makes them move. The other laser sends information about that movement to a computer. This allowed the researchers to measure the number of particles. In some cases, they could identify the types of plastic.

The researchers tested three popular brands of bottled water. They identified some of the types of plastic particles in the samples. Some were the kinds in the bottles and their caps. Some were used in water filters and pipes. They haven’t figured out where the other particles came from yet. 

Scientists are only just beginning to study the effects of plastic particles in the body. Recently, researchers from Italy and the U.S. investigated microplastics and nanoplastics in the human cardiovascular system, which includes the heart and blood vessels.

The study focused on 257 people who had surgery to remove plaques, or fatty deposits, from an artery in their neck. If these blockages grow too large, they can disrupt the flow of blood, causing health problems. Once the plaques were removed, the scientists examined them to see if they contained plastic particles. Then they monitored the patients’ health over the next three years.

How do plastic particles affect the body? Scientists are just beginning to research that question. Recently, researchers from Italy and the U.S. did a study. They looked at microplastics and nanoplastics in the human cardiovascular system. That includes the heart and blood vessels.

The study focused on 257 patients. They had surgery to remove plaques from an artery in their neck. If these fatty deposits grow too large, they can block the flow of blood. That causes health problems. After the plaques were removed, the scientists examined them. They wanted to see if the plaques contained plastic particles. Then they monitored the patients’ health for three years.