Humans Consumer 90,000 Microplastic particles A Year From Bottled Water

A new study shows that humans who drink water from plastic bottles consume as many as 90,000 microplastic particles a year. By drinking tap water, the figure can drop as low as 4,000.

In a paper in Genomic Press titled “Human microplastic removal: what does the evidence tell us?” the authors wrote, “Given the widespread presence of microplastics in the environment, completely eliminating exposure is unrealistic. A more practical approach is to reduce the most significant sources of microplastic intake. Switching from bottled water to tap water could reduce microplastic intake from 90,000 to 4,000 particles per year, making it an impactful intervention.”

Harvard Medicine

Harvard Medicine released a study that showed “in cell cultures, marine wildlife, and animal models indicating that microplastics can cause oxidative damage, DNA damage, and changes in gene activity, which are known risks for cancer development. Microplastics have been found in human breast milk and meconium, an infant’s first stool.”

Microplastics are so pervasive that they have been found in fish thousands of feet below sea level. It is estimated that as many as 51 trillion pieces of plastic are thrown into the world’s oceans yearly, and the average person ingests as many as 50,000 microplastic particles a year.

Heart Disease

Scientists have found that microplastics can gather in arteries and cause heart disease. 

The discovery shows that science has only tapped the surface regarding the harmful effects of pollution.

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