Scientists find about a quarter million invisible nanoplastic particles in a liter of bottled water

(8 Jan 2024)

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4471858

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York – 8 January 2024
1. Columbia University physical chemist and study lead author Naixin Qian using a computer to view the plastic nanoparticles, generated via a microscope scan
HEADLINE: Scientists find nanoplastics in bottled water
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2. SOUNDBITE (English) Naixin Qian, Columbia University physical chemist and study lead author:
"Our research found that there are, average, a quarter of a million particles, including both microplastics and nanoplastics, per liter of that bottled water."
3. Various of Qian demonstrating how a sample slide would be prepared under the microscope before scanning
ANNOTATION: Looking at five samples each of three common bottled water brands, researchers found levels ranged from 110,000 to 400,000 per liter.
ANNOTATION: Scientists long figured there were lots of these microscopic plastic pieces in bottled water, but they never knew how many or what kind until now.
4. Various of Qian showing the laser box and optical box through which two lasers beams pass before entering the microscope
ANNOTATION: The nanoplastics were detected and categorized for the first time by a microscope using dual lasers.
5. Various of Qian demonstrating the membrane used to filter the water sample and extract particles
ANNOTATION: The study in Monday’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences still can’t answer if those nanoplastic pieces are harmful to health.
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6. SOUNDBITE (English) Naixin Qian, Columbia University physical chemist and study lead author:
“I mean, whether we see it or not, it’s out there. So it's better that we actually know how much is out there and what they are. But I myself, as a scientist, I would want more data in terms of the toxicology study to actually know whether–how harmful it would be to my own body.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Akron, Ohio – 8 September 2022
7. Various of forklift dumping plastics into sorting machine at recycling facility
8. Various of plastics sorting machine
ANNOTATION: The world produces more than 430 million tons of plastic annually and microplastics can be found in the world’s oceans, food and drinking water.
9. Close hands holding pieces of plastic
STORYLINE:
The average liter of bottled water has nearly a quarter million invisible pieces of ever so tiny nanoplastics, detected and categorized for the first time by a microscope using dual lasers.

Scientists long figured there were lots of these microscopic plastic pieces, but until researchers at Columbia and Rutgers universities did their calculations they never knew how many or what kind.

Looking at five samples each of three common bottled water brands, researchers found particle levels ranged from 110,000 to 400,000 per liter, averaging at around 240,000 according to a study in Monday’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

These are particles that are less than a micron in size. There are 25,400 microns — also called micrometers because it is a millionth of a meter — in an inch. A human hair is about 83 microns wide.

Previous studies have looked at slightly bigger microplastics that range from the visible 5 millimeters, less than a quarter of an inch, to one micron. About 10 to 100 times more nanoplastics than microplastics were discovered in bottled water, the study found.

Much of the plastic seems to be coming from the bottle itself and the reverse osmosis membrane filter used to keep out other contaminants, said study lead author Naixin Qian, a Columbia physical chemist.