«We drink plastic!»: Microplastics found in Nestlé and Danone bottled water

An alarming 78% of bottled water analysed in France is contaminated with microplastics, according to a new report by the NGO Agir pour l'Environment.

Environmentalists have long raised a red flag over microplastics. But now, concerns about the potential negative impact of these tiny plastic fragments - less than five millimeters in length - on human health are pushing plastic pollution onto the agenda.

In France, Agir pour l'Environment believes there is cause for concern: the NGO has identified microplastic contamination in the 78% of the best-selling bottled water brands in France.

Microplastics and in food

Microplastics in blood, meat, dairy and water Scientists have detected the presence of microplastics in human blood, meat and dairy products, even near the summit of Mount Everest.

These tiny pieces of plastic are of concern because of their widespread presence in the oceans and the potential physical and toxicological risks they pose to organisms, according to the University of Plymouth, UK - the university responsible for analysing microplastic samples from the world's highest peak. .

«Microplastics can be ingested by a wide range of animals and have been found in organisms ranging in size from small invertebrates to large mammals.» According to laboratory studies, there is a potential for microplastic contamination to lead to «deleterious» effects within organisms, as well as «widespread» and «potentially irreversible» effects in the natural environment.

One way in which people can ingest microplastics is through plastic bottled water. In 2018, scientists at the State University of New York conducted analyses of plastic bottled water to test for microplastic contamination.

According to their findings, about twice as many plastic particles were found in bottled water as in tap water. Ninety-three percent of the water tested was found to contain microplastics, which averaged 10.4 microparticles per liter.

In Europe, the environmental NGO Agir pour l'Environment (Acting for the Environment) has tried to determine whether bottled water sold in France also contains microplastics. Plastics identified in the «best-selling» brands. The non-profit organisation commissioned Labocéa, a laboratory with expertise in microplastic analysis, to test the best-selling brands in the French bottled water market.

Virgin plastic bottles as well as recycled plastic were included in the mix. The brands selected include Badoit, Carrefour (Montclar Source), Cristaline, Evian (100% recycled in 500ml and 1L bottle shapes), Perrier (blue bottle), Vittel (330ml for children and 1L format) and Volvic. Badoit, Evian and Volvic are owned by Danone, Perrier and Vittel by Nestlé and Cristaline by Roxane.

Labocéa used Fourier Transform Infrared (FTI) technology to detect the presence of polymer plastics in water. The number of microplastics detected was «variable», from anywhere between 1 and 121 plastic microparticles per litre. Contamination was detected in 78% of the bottled waters analysed.

The main plastics identified were polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The presence of polyurethane (PU) was also noted. «Given their nature, it appears that most of these microplastics come from the bottle, the cork and the bottling process,» the NGO suggested. «Subjected to strong heat and light, these water bottles could release even larger amounts of microplastics.».

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Ioannis Giotis

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