2024-09-13 17:14:08
A study has revealed that the bottled water we consume contains up to 100 times the amount of plastic pieces that were previously believed.
A study recently published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) revealed that every time you drink bottled water, an immense amount of plastic particleswhich would be even up to 100 times the amount previously estimated.
Depending on their size, these small pieces can be microplastics o nanoplásticosThe first are fragments that can reach up to 5 millimetres in thickness. The second, meanwhile, are smaller particles, measuring one thousandth of the width of a hair and can escape detection by microscope.
The problem with nanoplastics is that these synthetic chemicals are potentially harmful to the body and can affect vital human cells and organs.
Up to 240,000 pieces of plastic
This study, conducted on three popular water brands sold in the US (not specified), found an average of 240,000 plastic particles per litre of bottled water, of which 90% were nanoplastics.
According to researchers at Columbia University, this represents a much higher concentration compared to previous studies, which were unable to detect with certainty the exact amount of nanoplastics, the smallest pieces.
Now, however, the measurement has been made more precise with a technique called Raman scattering microscopy, which uses two lasers to identify specific molecules in water.
Source: The Republic of Peru.com