Home › Spa › Spa + Wellness
Your favorite brand may be on the list.
Photo Credits: Sebastian Pfuetze/ Getty Images | Model Used for Illustrative Purpose Only
Two unrelated studies have found a widespread plastic microfiber–contaminationin bottled water. This may not seem like ahugedeal at first—the bottles are made up of plastic, after all—remember that because plastic doesn’t break down, it can accumulate wherever it lands, including our bodies.
On the heels of a study commissioned by Orb Media toto analyze 259 bottles from 11 different brands from nine countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water. The result of the study: an average of 325 plastic particles for every liter sold, and polypropylene—the same type of plastic used to make bottle caps—was the most common type of plastic fragment sound.
In this study, the brands tested were Aqua, Aquafina, Bisleri, Dasani, Epura, Evian, Gerolsteiner, Minalba, Nestlé Pure Life, San Pellegrino and Wahaha. Nestlé Pure Life was the main culprit, with concentrations of plastic as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per liter. According to the study, of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 were free of plastics. The scientists who conducted the study from the State University of New York in Fredonia wrote they had found “roughly twice as many plastic particles within bottled water” compared to their precious study of tap water, the Guardian reports.
A second unrelated study was commissioned by the Story of Stuff Project. Within the study, 19 different bottled water brands were analyzed for microparticle contamination. On the list to test were Aquafina, Arrowhead, Boxed Water, Crystal Geyser, Dasani, Deer Park, Eternal Water, Evian, Fiji, Glaceau Smart, Ice Mountain, Icelandic Glacial, Ozarka, Penta, Poland Spring, Texas Spring Water, Trader Joe’s Mountain Spring, True Zealand and Zephyrhills.
You May Also Like:The Shocking Stat That Shows What’s Really in Your Drinking Water
Once the results were in—Abigail Barrows of Ocean Analytics headed up the testing, and carefully sampled each brand under a microscope—the results were shocking. The brands with the most contamination were Boxed Water, Fiji, Ozarka and Evian, Icelandic Glacial and Crystal Geyser had the highest levels of contamination, respectively.
Although we don’t fully understand yet thehealth implicationsof consuming microplastic, Barrows says the preliminary results of this study are clear: “People are directly ingesting plastic particles when drinking most types of bottled water.”
But how do these plastic particles get bottled? Shockingly enough, a report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says one of the biggest contributors to microfiber pollution comes from the washing of synthetic clothing discharged throughwashing machinewaste. (Several studies have already shown that synthetic clothing is found in the bellies of fish and other seafood, and now it’s entering our bottled water.)
“This investigation demonstrates the ubiquity of microfiber pollution in water writ large, even in products that consumers pay a premium for,” says Stiv Wilson, campaigns director for The Story of Stuff Project. “We need to solve this problem upstream and drastically rethink or dependence on persistent fossil-fueled derived textiles that have a very big unintended consequence.” Neither study has been published in a journal.
If your go-to water brand was listed as a main offender, trying a different brand for now is in your best interest, or better yet, consider investing in aglass bottleand refill it yourself to reduce waste altogether.
Related Posts
-
Beauty Essentials
10 Trending Beauty Gifts Under $50
-
Fitness
See AlsoArsenic in Some Bottled Water Brands at Unsafe Levels, Consumer Reports Says - Consumer ReportsHow to Check If Your Bottled Water Has Been Recalled Due to Possible E. ColiNew Study Finds PFAS in Bottled Water, as Lawmakers Call for Federal Limits - Consumer ReportsWhat’s Really in Your Bottled Water? - Consumer ReportsAn Expert's Guide to Spring Cleaning Your Body and Wellness Routine
-
Fitness
5 Fitness Tips From Hilary Duff’s Personal Trainer
-
Body
The Best Beauty Trends We Saw in 2022
-
Body
Every NewBeauty Award Winner You Can Get at the Sephora Sale
-
Body
Supplements Formulated Specifically for People Over 50
-
Wellness
8 Surprising Benefits of Reflexology
-
Skin Care
The Ultimate Beauty Gift Guide for Women in Their 40s
-
Wellness
23 Wellness Gifts to Help Anyone Master Self-Care
-
Wellness
Judy Greer on Wellness Over 40 and the LED Face Mask She and Her Husband Fight Over
-
Celebrities
Zooey Deschanel Shares Her Favorite Clean Skin-Care Brands and Bang Tips for Beginners
-
Wellness
4 Ways org*sms Can Benefit Your Skin
-
Celebrity
Salma Hayek's Latest Post Proves the Power of Steam
-
Odette Annable Shares Why She Loves Hyaluronic Acid, Kosas Lip Balm and the Art of Self-Care Cooking
-
Wellness
Lily Aldridge Credits This Refillable Moisturizer for Her Glowing Skin
-
Nutrition
A Guide to Intuitive Eating: How It Can Improve Your Health and Well-Being
It's Personal
At NewBeauty, we get the most trusted information from the beauty authority delivered right to your inbox
Find a Doctor
Find a NewBeauty "Top Beauty Doctor" Near you