People who rely on bottled water consume more than 90,000 additional microplastic particles a year compared with those who drink tap water, according to a new review of scientific studies that warns of potentially serious health risks.
The review, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, found that the average person ingests 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles annually, with bottled water emerging as a major source of exposure.
Researchers from Concordia University in Canada said plastic bottles release microplastics during manufacturing, storage, and transport, particularly when exposed to sunlight and fluctuating temperatures.
“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 review.
What the study found
The researchers analyzed findings from more than 141 scientific articles examining the global health impacts of microplastics from single-use plastic water bottles.
They estimated that people who meet their daily water intake exclusively from bottled water may ingest around 90,000 more microplastic particles per year, compared with about 4,000 particles annually among those who drink only tap water.
Microplastics range in size from one-thousandth of a millimeter to five millimeters and are small enough to enter the human bloodstream and reach vital organs.
Health risks still unclear
Microplastics have been linked to chronic inflammation, respiratory problems, hormonal disruption, reproductive impairment, neurological damage, and cancer, the review noted. However, researchers said the long-term effects remain poorly understood.
One major challenge is the lack of standardized testing methods. While some tools can detect very small particles, they often fail to identify their chemical composition. Other techniques that determine composition tend to miss the smallest particles altogether.
“The review highlights the chronic health issues linked to exposure to nano- and microplastics, including respiratory diseases, reproductive issues, neurotoxicity, and carcinogenicity,” the researchers wrote.
Call for regulation, better water access
The review urged governments to adopt comprehensive regulations targeting nano- and microplastics in bottled water and to develop standardized global testing methods.
It also emphasized the need to reduce dependence on single-use plastics by improving access to safe drinking water.
“Addressing public access to safe drinking water and improving water infrastructure are vital in reducing reliance on single-use plastics,” the study said.
Researchers stressed the need for more comprehensive research to fully understand the health and environmental impacts of microplastics in bottled water.
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