Daily consumers of bottled water ingest over 90,000 more microplastic particles than people who drink tap water, according to a new review of research that calls for urgent regulatory measures to manage the risks.
The review also notes that people ingest 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles, which range in size between a thousandth of a millimetre and five millimetres, on average in a year.
Plastic bottles release microplastics during manufacturing, storage and transport, when they are broken down by exposure to sunlight and temperature fluctuations, according to researchers at Concordia University in Canada who warn the health consequences of ingesting them “can be severe”.
“Drinking water from plastic bottles is fine in an emergency, but it isn’t something that should be used in daily life,” said Sarah Sajedi, lead author of the new review published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Microplastics are known to enter the bloodstream and reach vital organs, potentially causing chronic inflammation, respiratory issues, stress on cells, hormonal disruption, impaired reproduction, neurological damage, and various kinds of cancer. But their long-term effects remain poorly understood due to the lack of standardised testing methods to assess them within tissues.
In the review, researchers examined the global impact of tiny plastic particles ingested from single-use plastic water bottles on human health, drawing insights from over 141 scientific articles.
The review suggests that people meeting their daily recommended water intake solely from single-use plastic water bottles may ingest an additional 90,000 microplastics per year compared to those drinking only tap water who ingest 4,000 microplastics a year.
The study also says that while existing research tools detect even very small particles, these do not reveal what the particles are made of.
And the tools used to determine the composition of plastic particles tend to miss the smallest of them, researchers note, calling for developing standardised global testing methods to measure particles accurately.
“The review highlights the chronic health issues linked to exposure to nano- and microplastics, including respiratory diseases, reproductive issues, neurotoxicity, and carcinogenicity,” researchers wrote.
“We highlight the challenges of standardised testing methods and the need for comprehensive regulations targeting nano- and microplastics in water bottles.”
The research also emphasises the need to transition from single-use plastics to sustainable, long-term water access solutions.
“Addressing public access to safe drinking water and improving water infrastructure are vital in reducing reliance on single-use plastics,” the review noted.
“Comprehensive research is still needed to fully understand the health and environmental impacts of nano- and microplastics in bottled water.”
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