Sipping on Plastic: The Hidden Threat in Your Water Glass

November 3, 2024

by Cathe Friedrich

Have you ever wondered what’s hiding in the glass of water you sip when you wake up in the morning or when you’re doing a workout? If you’re living healthy, eating, and drinking the purest, most nutritious food and beverages, you might be surprised to know how the plastics industry hides a dark, dirty secret. Enter microplastics – the invisible menace that has quietly invaded our most essential resource, water, the elixir of life. By understanding how they get into your water, you can take steps to lower your exposure to them.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are tiny particles, with the largest being around the size of a pencil eraser. The smaller ones you’d have a tough time seeing even with supersonic eyesight. These synthetic particles that have taken over our kitchens and bathrooms and are even invading our bodies come in two main types:

Primary microplastics: Use to make products for industry, household, or cosmetics.
Secondary microplastics: Plastic particles that come from the breakdown of primary plastics.

Common types of microplastics include Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), and Polystyrene (PS). You can find these plastics in everything from water bottles to food packaging. You probably use some of these products every day.

The Plastic Invasion of Our Water Supply

You might wonder, “How do these tiny plastic bits end up in my drinking water and what can I do about them? Good question! Microplastics get into your water there through various mechanisms including:

Wind and water transport microplastics throughout the environment.
Precipitation, runoff, and transport by bodies of water, like rivers.
Wastewater treatment plants. They remove large plastic particles, but standard water treatment systems may let microplastics through their filters and into your glass of water.

Here’s the scary thing. Scientists have isolated microplastics from both tap water and bottled water. How common the problem is might surprise you. One 2018 study found that 93% of the bottled water samples scientists evaluated contained microplastics. These include popular brands that people guzzle during workouts and sip when they’re out and about.

Tap water isn’t immune from microplastic contamination either. As mentioned, water treatment facilities can’t remove all microplastics, so the water that runs through your faucet when you turn on the spigot may be contaminated with it too. However, most tap water contains fewer microplastics than bottled water.

Bottled water contains more microplastics for several reasons. For one, manufacturers often package it in plastic bottles that are a primary source of plastic. Plus, the bottling process itself, including capping the top of the bottle with a plastic lid can introduce microplastics into the water. Water bottles made from PET usually contain more microplastics than other types of plastic.

Health Implications: Should We Be Concerned?

You might wonder whether these tiny microplastics are a threat to your health. Here are some of the concerns scientists are voicing:

Physical Effects: Larger plastic particles could build up in your gut and potentially cause inflammation or blockages.
Chemical Effects: Microplastics absorb pollutants like heavy metals and endocrine-disrupting chemicals that disrupt hormones.
Oxidative Stress: Research finds that microplastics may induce oxidative stress. This damages your cells.
Endocrine Disruption: Certain additives that manufacturers add to plastic bottles are phthalates that interfere with hormone function.
Inflammatory Responses: Long-term accumulation in tissues like the liver and lungs may cause chronic inflammation.

According to the David Suzuki Foundation, “There’s still much to learn about microplastic’s health effects, but exposure in animals has been linked to liver and cell damage, infertility, inflammation, cancer and starvation.” They also point out that the average person eats and breathes around 50,000 plastic particles yearly. The chemicals used to make microplastics have hormone-disrupting activity that could trigger health problems too.

As you might expect, the effects may depend on how much you’re exposed to and factors like your metabolism, gut microbiome, and genetics. What you eat may also play a role. Some studies suggest that a high-fiber diet, especially a form of fiber called psyllium, may help your body eliminate microplastics.

What Can You Do to Reduce Exposure to Microplastics in Water?

You can’t completely eliminate your exposure to microplastics, but there are some steps you can take to lessen your body’s microplastics burden:

Think Out of the Bottle: Bottled water usually contains more plastics than tap water.
Avoid Single-Use Plastics: Reduce how many plastics you’re exposed to. Eliminate single-use items like water bottles and food packaging.
Use Glass or Stainless Steel: Choose reusable water bottles made from healthier materials. Choose glass or stainless steel instead of plastic.
Consider Your Tea: If you’re a tea drinker, be aware that it’s not just the water you used to brew it that can be a problem. Some tea bags release billions of microplastic particles into your tea cu. Choose loose leaf tea or bags made from natural materials.
Be Mindful of Your Food Choices: Know that certain foods, particularly seafood, may contain higher levels of microplastics. Also, food packaging of all types can contain them. So, eat a variety of whole, unprocessed foods.
Filter Your Water: Invest in a high-quality water filter that filters microplastics.

The Bigger Picture: Environmental Impact

Beyond the health effects of microplastics, be aware of how it affects the environment too. The seas are filled with microplastics, even deep ocean trenches. Fish ingest microplastics and humans do too when they eat fish. It disrupts the ecosystem and, as scientists suspect, your health too.

We Need More Awareness of the Microplastic Problem

You may be accustomed to reading the labels on the food you eat, but when you look at the label on bottled water, you won’t see microplastics listed. Likewise, you may not know how much microplastics is in your drinking water either. Taking care of yourself doesn’t stop with diet and exercise. Know what you’re sipping too.

Remember, the small actions you take matter! When you pour your next glass of water, think about the journey that water took to reach your glass and your tummy. And know this: You can move towards a future where clean, microplastic-free water is not a luxury, but a given.

References:

“The truth about nanoplastics in bottled water – UCLA Health.” 11 Apr. 2024, https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/truth-about-nanoplastics-bottled-water.
“I’m a Microplastics Researcher. Here’s How to Limit Their Dangers.” 27 Feb. 2024, https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/02/427161/how-to-limit-microplastics-dangers.
“Microplastics and associated chemicals in drinking water: A review of ….” 20 Feb. 2024, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723082244.
Merve Esra Çıtar Dazıroğlu, Saniye Bilici. The hidden threat to food safety and human health: microplastics. Environment Development and Sustainability. Published online July 15, 2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03565-7.
We are living in a plastic world. David Suzuki Foundation. Published November 26, 2020. Accessed October 27, 2024. https://davidsuzuki.org/story/we-are-living-plastic-world/