Health Concerns Linked to Plastic Pollution are Underestimated: New Study

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): According to a latest research study, whose findings were recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the health concerns linked to plastic pollution are dramatically underestimated.

The study evaluated bottled water for the presence of nanoplastics- the plastic particles whose length is less than 1 micrometer. The findings suggest presence of more plastic particles in bottled water than previous estimates. On an average, a typical one-liter water bottle is now estimated to contain nearly 240,000 plastic fragments.

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According to the study, nanoplastics pose greater threat to human health than microplastics, due to their smaller size.

As part of the study, roughly 25 one-liter bottles of water belonging to three popular U.S. brands were studied by using a new microscopy technique and data-driven algorithm. The studies revealed presence of around 110,000 to 370,000 tiny plastic particles in each liter of water, 90% of which were nanoplastics.

The study provided a powerful tool to address the challenges in analyzing nanoplastics, said Naixin Qian, the study's lead author. The study targeted seven common plastic types, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), of which water bottles are primarily made.

As per estimates, around 450 million tons of plastics are produced by the world every year.