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Microplastics Found In 93 Percent of Bottled Water Tested In Global Study (www.cbc.ca)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC.ca: The bottled water industry is estimated to be worth nearly $200 billion a year, surpassing sugary sodas as the most popular beverage in many countries. But its perceived image of cleanliness and purity is being challenged by a global investigation that found the water tested is often contaminated with tiny particles of plastic. The research was conducted on behalf of Orb Media, a U.S-based non-profit journalism organization with which CBC News has partnered. Professor Sherri Mason, a microplastics researcher who carried out the laboratory work at the State University of New York, and his team tested 259 bottles of water purchased in nine countries (none were bought in Canada). Though many brands are sold internationally, the water source, manufacturing and bottling process for the same brand can differ by country. The 11 brands tested include the world's dominant players -- Nestle Pure Life, Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, San Pellegrino and Gerolsteiner -- as well as major national brands across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Researchers found 93 per cent of all bottles tested contained some sort of microplastic, including polypropylene, polystyrene, nylon and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Orb found on average there were 10.4 particles of plastic per liter that were 100 microns (0.10 mm) or bigger. This is double the level of microplastics in the tap water tested from more than a dozen countries across five continents, examined in a 2017 study by Orb that looked at similar-sized plastics. Other, smaller particles were also discovered -- 314 of them per liter, on average -- which some of the experts consulted about the Orb study believe are plastics but cannot definitively identify. The amount of particles varied from bottle to bottle: while some contained one, others contained thousands.
Orb found on average there were 10.4 particles of plastic per liter that were 100 microns (0.10 mm) or bigger. This is double the level of microplastics in the tap water tested from more than a dozen countries across five continents, examined in a 2017 study by Orb that looked at similar-sized plastics. Other, smaller particles were also discovered -- 314 of them per liter, on average -- which some of the experts consulted about the Orb study believe are plastics but cannot definitively identify. The amount of particles varied from bottle to bottle: while some contained one, others contained thousands.
when we introduce a cheap alternative to natural products, there's always a hidden cost the greedy selfish and irresponsible manufactures don't ever want to acknowledge
The top 10 rivers that dump plastic waste into the oceans are in Africa and Asia. 6 of them are in China.
And that, dear friends, is yet another data point about "free trade." That tasty arbitrage that lets you get your iPhone 75 for cheaper than if it were produced domestically is brought to you buy a country that gives absolutely zero fucks about its environment or whether or not you're eating microplastics in your food.
Enjoy.
Harmless inert plastic found in water. No concern what so ever.
So, lemme get this straight. The water that comes shipped in plastic, also contains plastic?! Mind. Blown.
Next you're going to tell me that piping the universal solvent through lead pipes causes it to pick up lead.
It's a costly process, so you end up drinking this production "dirt". Cheers!
Never touch the stuff, fish fuck in it!
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
Don't compare against nonexistent perfectly safe solution. We use plastic bottles because they were much less dangerous than glass bottles. If you're worried about the dangers of plastic in the containers leaching into the water, you have to compare to the dangers of the next best alternative - glass bottles and the cuts they could give you when they broke.
Nothing in the world is 100% safe. You try to find what offers the best combination of utility and safety, and live with the inherent risks with that solution satisfied that you've minimized the risk..
So you're telling me that someone tested a bunch of bottled water, almost all of which is inside plastic bottles, and they discovered plastic in them? And they were surprised by the findings?
Two bottled waters I purchase are from a local well or mountain spring where there are no sources of animal waste or industrial pollution. My community has a recycling program that collects cans, bottles, and paper so these things don't go into oceans, rivers or a landfill..
Nestle make water? Really? Is that like the 'McWater' of the bottled water industry?
As for Dasani - aren't they actually CocaCola company? Didn't they try to sell tap water in bottles? Oh yes, they did: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/...
I wonder if this means the 'premium' brands such as Evian, or Buxton Spring or whomever are actually okay?
People look at me like I'm nuts when I say that bottled water has a disgusting plastic taste to it. I didn't know if it was from the bottles or the water itself, but one way or another, I knew that something ended up in that water. This is probably a useful avenue of science to explore given how big the market is and how clearly, nobody realizes what's going on.
I'm extremely surprised by the results that include waters purified by reverse osmosis. It's not a perfect purification process but large particles 100 microns or larger should make it past the membrane 0% of the time. Perhaps the contamination is coming from the manufacturing of the plastic bottles themselves.
But add to that all the other sources of microplastics: washing clothes, vacuuming carpets, all the plastic items that surround us, rubber tyres, paints and it is reasonable to ask: does one more source really make much difference? Is it worth getting upset about?
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
Thus the microplastics end up directly in humans, where they belong, instead of first poisoning fish and other unrelated species.
Be environment -friendly! Don't feed bottled water to your pets -- drink it yourself!
So it's a test done in Canada, reported by CBC, about bottled water from countries other than Canada. Well that doesn't tell me anything about bottled water sold in Canada now, does it?
#DeleteFacebook
The only surprise here is that it's not 100%.
If it's in the water, how much is in things like soda and fruit juices? I've always thought milk in plastic bottles tastes very plasticy. I only buy waxed paper cartons because of this. So the real question to me is how much have I already consumed?
To those who think "We just don't know if it's harmful." You are just thinking chemically. By their very presence these microscopic pieces of plastic can mechanically get in the way. They can clog a vital spot, say the entrance to a lioposome or mitochondria, or just lower the absorption abilities of lung or other their tissues. Even at low levels, it doesn't belong and I don't want it in me.
Rather than use it 'till someone shows it hurts you, how about don't use it until someone proves some form of benefit?
On the one hand you take life too seriously, and on the other, you do not take playful existence seriously enough. Seth
Now, did anyone bother to find out if such microplastics in the water posed some sort of... problem?
You know, health wise?
Because the article just pointed out these microplastics are in our tap water too. Should we also be worried about that?
Show me on the 1st Amendment bobblehead where the moderator touched you...
It's not opportunity cost. It's just actual cost. Glass costs more to make, and ship (due to heavier weight).
Your ad here. Ask me how!
Why not relabel them to follow the example of the orange juice companies, but instead of with pulp bits'
The new bottled water would be relabeled with plastic microbits
Obviously, since the water tastes like plastic, there must be plastic in the water.
Sounds more impressive than it is. The company consists of eight women managing two (male) journalists. Must be a fun place to work.
plastic bottle are subject to various mechanical forces during the bottling process, contact with fill necks, friction btween the threads as the cap is screwed on...etc. Could this simply be residue falling into the bottles?
when woody plants were first developing there was nothing in nature that could break down wood
Citation please. All living things evolve alongside each other, not independently of each other. That is how different species of plants and animals came to be specifically dependent on each other: simultaneous evolution, not independent evolution. What you are describing is a world where trees evolved independently of the organisms which break down wood.
Most Plastics leach hormone like chemicals original study link is broken.
Setting this aside we'd still have to deal with the estrogens from birth control pills that are in the water but this can't help.
We do have leverage, we just aren't willing to use it. That leverage is both trade and military force.
Consider an alternate history where the federal government vetoed NAFTA, did not give MFN status to China and had kept a 600-1000 ship USN after the Cold War. None of that is wild thinking as those are things that could have been done by simply making different choices at key points in the last 25 years.
You bet your ass China would clean its shit up if a few hundred USN ships appeared beyond missile range and imposed a naval blockade of China until they agree to clean up their act.
"Unwilling to act" != "No leverage." Everything you call impossible is just the result of our choices.
When they include more spring-sourced waters, like Poland Spring, I'll be interested. No, I don't buy those exclusively, but surprise, I can name at least two cities in the US that receive spring-sourced water from their public utilities, and it is in fact better than most bottled water, right out of the tap. And I miss that water.
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
I don't "want" to drink plastic, but until they determine if it's causing a health problem, who really cares? This is just scare tactics.
Most plastics are chemically inert, they don't form tiny sharp needles like asbestos and the quantities are ridiculously small anyways.
So what is going to happen besides, well, shitting tiny plastic particles.
You're saying that people are intentionally choosing a higher risk for cancer, over getting cut by broken glass? No. Sorry, but that's silly. People are intentionally choosing a higher risk of cancer for 1. cost and 2. convenience. That's all it is. People are generally stupid and frequently make really illogical, irrational decisions.
I don't respond to AC's.
Dasani is bottled Calgary Tap water with one additional osmossis filtration stage.
TOTALLY worth $2/bottle, not .03/litre like we all pay.
Friday, March 09, 2018
Microplastics found in 73 percent of fish in the Northwest Atlantic, according to latest research
https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-03-09-microplastics-found-in-73-of-fish-in-the-northwest-atlantic-according.html
Perhaps these particles are the result of the bottle manufacturing and are already inside the empty bottle before the water is added? Certainly they're not manufactured in a cleanroom so there must be some amount of plastic dust in the air that will find its way inside bottles.
This is just to move the attention away from what is in tap water.
Nothing that can't be solved with a second helping of 30% of your income.
Plastics are inert and just pass through your system. I'll bet there are other non-plastic things found in bottled water that would be far worse for you. But everything is there in such small quantities, drink on.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'd be interested in seeing the actual study, with controls, since 'm guessing that the plastic micropipet tips they used to transfer water and dyes likely added some microplastics as well.
George Carlin stand-up:
https://youtu.be/7W33HRc1A6c
...if 100 micron bits of plastic are getting through the filters, there could be a slew of microbes, grit, and other impurities. Don't they filter this stuff at all?
I'm just going to drink from the backyard hose, the way God and The Beaver intended.
100 micron is pretty big (about the size of table salt crystals). It might be hard to see, but it is trivial to filter.
I filter every drop of water entering my house with a 30 micron sediment filter.
I additionally filter my drinking water with an inexpensive 5 micron carbon filter followed by a more expensive 0.001 micron reverse osmosis filter.
Heck, I even filter the air circulating in my house with a 3 micron furnace filter.
Tell me: How many particles of naturally-occurring really bad stuff was found in a typical litre of water in the pre-plastic era, hmmmmmm?
I keep seeing stories where people fume and fuss about synthetic stuff and pretend that all man-made things are dangerous and were cooked-up by big evil businesses who were maliciously looking to make a buck by harming people and killing the planet. This warped view of reality ignores the fact that most such things were invented by scientists and engineers who worked very hard to make a better thing that made peoples' lives better.
The plastic bottle provided people with light-weight, mostly unbreakable, readily affordable, sanitary means of transporting and storing VERY safe (by historical standards) beverages. This was an improvement over the breakable and heavy but sanitary and less-affordable glass bottle, which was an improvement over the heavier, less-portable, less sanitary, more fragile and expensive ceramic bottles and wooden casks, which were an improvement over animal skin bags, and so on.
The same plastic syringes we worry about as pollution, also provided us with vastly reduced risks of contamination from re-used and breakable glass syringes. Same for lots of other plastics in the healthcare and food industries.
As bad as any plastic thing may be, we should ALWAYS ask how it compares to all the alternatives before abandoning it, and remember how much it was better than the earlier options it replaced. We need to be THOUGHTFUL ADULTS, not whining panicky ignorant adolescents.
China has just enough nukes that they'd have a choice: nuke our blockade line or nuke our cities. Also, let's be serious here. The main reason the United States is not taken seriously is that we're the world's cop always throwing our weight around and half-assing it. If our foreign policy were like China's, China would take us much more seriously if we barked at them because they'd know that anything serious enough to us to make us demand action is going to receive a follow through that no one wants.
Plasticization is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face.
Do you realize that in addition to plasticizing water, why, there are studies underway to plasticize salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk, ice cream? Ice cream, Mandrake? Children's ice cream!