Tiny 'nanoplastic' pieces are in bottled water. What that means for your health

Scientists have found hundreds of thousands of microscopic pieces of “nanoplastics” in bottled water, showing just how pervasive the tiny bits are in everyday products.

Nanoplastics — pieces of plastics smaller than a millionth of a meter — are the result of plastics breaking down, and are widely present in the environment and in humans. Researchers at Columbia and Rutgers universities released a study this week about nanoplastics, finding an average of 240,000 pieces per liter in samples tested.

It's not clear what health effects, if any, nanoplastics have, and further research is required, experts said. Newsday asked experts to explain what is known — and not — about nanoplastics.

What are nanoplastics and where do they come from?

Not visible to the eye, pieces of nanoplastics are measured at less than a micron in size. For comparison, there are 25,400 microns in an inch, and a human hair is about 83 microns wide.

Decomposing plastic items, tires wearing down and washing of polyester and synthetic fiber clothes, as well as plastic containers and caps that package food and drinks, can release nanoplastics.

“About 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year and it never goes away,” said Dr. Kenneth Spaeth, division chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Northwell Health and Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine.

“The thing about nanoplastics is wherever you look, you find them,” said Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator and president of Beyond Plastics, a Vermont-based group focused on reducing plastic waste.

“They are in drinking water, beer, honey, agricultural soil, sea mist at the ocean, deep arctic ice,” she said.

Nanoplastics also have been detected in the human body, including the blood, lungs and the placentas of pregnant women.

What did the most recent study find?

Examining five samples each of three common bottled water brands, levels of nanoplastics ranged from 110,000 to 400,000 per liter, according to the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 
Previous studies looked at slightly bigger “microplastics,” which range from one micron to less than a quarter of an inch.
About 10 to 100 times more nanoplastics than microplastics were discovered in bottled water, the study found.

Researchers identified some of the various plastic polymers found in the nanoplastics and then tried to trace their origin.

“In drinking water production, plastic contamination is confirmed in every step from the well to the bottle,” according to the study.

In one sample, researchers determined the nanoplastics' source was the water bottle's cap, according to Phoebe Stapleton, co-author of the study who is an associate professor in the department of pharmacology and toxicology at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and resident scientist in the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.

Stapleton said other nanoplastics could have come into contact with the water when it was being filtered or even before the purification process.

What are the health impacts of nanoplastics?

Scientists are still trying to figure that out, Stapleton said.

“They are so small, they are able to get around normal biological barriers such as your lungs, your GI system, the placenta,” Stapleton said. “These are things [particles] aren’t supposed to get past.”

Each nanoplastic particle is different due to the various chemicals used to make that particular plastic item. This also can complicate understanding the health implications,  Spaeth said.

“We do know that a large portion of the components of these particles are things known to be toxic to human health and to the environment, but linking [health effects] directly to the nanoplastics has not yet been done,” Spaeth said.

He added: “This is likely to become a critical issue when we have the data to point to it … I think most people understand this is likely to turn out to be a hazard.”

What does the bottled water industry say? 

The International Bottled Water Association said that there is no scientific evidence that nanoplastics pose a health risk. Because of that, it said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not issued regulations for them in food and beverages.

It also pointed out this  week that while it hadn't had enough time to evaluate the study, “Bottled water is just one of thousands of food and beverage products packaged in plastic containers.”

Stapleton noted that lack of regulation from the FDA or other governing bodies “does not equate to product safety. There are many other examples of continued product use and availability despite scientific evidence of potential adverse health effects.”

What can I do to minimize nanoplastic exposure?

When it comes to what water to drink, Stapleton said it really depends on where you live.

“If there are known problems with your water, like lead contamination, you avoid the tap water,” she said. “But if you have clean water, I would use that,” instead of plastic bottles of water.

Enck said she tries to avoid drinking from single-use plastic containers of water, soda and juice. When she does, she doesn't shake the bottle, because it will release more nanoplastics, and tries to only open the cap once “because the abrasion from the plastic bottle cap will release nanoplastics.”

Water filtered through a refrigerator or a container with a filter is an option if the tap water is off limits. Studies show certain filters can trap a majority of microplastics. Stapleton said these devices will not filter out nanoplastics.

“Often these filters have plastic components themselves,” she said.

The bigger issue, Enck said, is limiting the plastic in the environment.

“This is a clarion call that we should really work to reduce our use of plastic, particularly for food and beverages,” Enck said.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.