Consumers may choose bottled water believing that it is filtered and pollutant-free. But a new study finds that any given bottle of water contains tens of thousands of nanoplastic particles.
These nanometer-scale particles may be particularly concerning for human health because they are likely able to spread into more body tissues than microplastics, which are greater than a micrometer in size. A 2018 study published in the journal Frontiers in Chemistry found evidence of ample microplastic contamination in bottled water, but counting and categorizing nanoplastic particles has been a challenge.
In the new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, lead researchers Beizhan Yan and Wei Min of Columbia Univ. used a new method of measurement called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy to count nanoplastic particles. In this type of microscopy, two lasers are tuned to frequencies that make specific plastic molecules resonate. They targeted seven common plastics and tested three common bottled water brands. With this method, the team could detect plastic particles down to 100–200 nm.
The researchers filtered the water to collect plastic particles and then mounted the filters onto the...
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