Studies indicate that bottled water may contain harmful substances, including toxic elements, microplastics, and chemical additives, which can pose serious health threats upon prolonged consumption.
Research revealed that bottled water isn’t as pure as it seems because each sip may contain invisible microplastics that can slip through the body’s defences and lodge in vital organs.
A microplastic particle can range between one micron — a thousandth of a millimetre — and five millimetres; nanoplastics are smaller than one micron. So, the particles are usually invisible to the naked eye.
Researchers, in a review of over 140 scientific articles, declared that individuals on average ingest between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles per year, and bottled water users consume 90,000 more particles than tap water consumers.
The research published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials looked at the science around the health risks posed by single-use plastic water bottles.
Microplastic particles emerge as bottles are made, stored, transported and broken down over their lifespans. Because they are often made from low-quality plastic, they shed tiny pieces every time they are manipulated and exposed to sunlight and temperature fluctuations.
And unlike other types of plastic particles, which enter human bodies through the food chain, these are ingested directly from the source.
Sarah Sajedi, who was involved in the study, declared, “Drinking water from plastic bottles is fine in an emergency, but it is not something that should be used in daily life. People need to understand that the issue is not acute toxicity — it is chronic toxicity.”
Sajedi stated that the health consequences of microplastic particles can be severe because once inside the body, these small plastics can cross biological boundaries, enter the bloodstream and reach vital organs.
This can lead to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress on cells, hormonal disruption, impaired reproduction, neurological damage and various kinds of cancer. However, the long-term effects remain poorly understood due to a lack of widespread testing and standardised methods of measurement and detection.
Still, their long-term impacts are not fully understood, largely because of limited testing and the absence of standardised ways to measure and track them.
Once inside the body, these particles can cause chronic inflammation, hormone disruption, and reproductive problems and even contribute to neurological damage and cancer, though many long-term impacts remain poorly understood due to a lack of standardised testing.
While global regulations are reducing plastic bags and straws, water bottles remain largely unregulated despite their direct link to plastic ingestion. “The issue is not acute toxicity — it is chronic toxicity,” Sajedi warned.
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