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EPA
NOS Tuesday, 2:44 p.m
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Sven Schaap
Publisher Online
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Sven Schaap
Publisher Online
You ingest hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic particles per bottle of water. This can be concluded from new research results from scientists at Columbia University in New York, among others. There have long been indications that plastic particles are floating around in disposable spring water bottles, but a specific number of an average of 240,000 particles per liter has not yet been given. It is also 10 to 100 times higher than previously estimated. The health effects still need to be further investigated.
It has long been known that small plastic particles appear everywhere. These microplastics have been discovered in clouds, in the deepest depths of the ocean and even in lung tissue, blood and placenta. We absorb them when we eat, drink and inhale. It has already been found that they also occur in spring water bottles: At that time, it was estimated that there were several hundred microplastic particles per bottle.
What the researchers have now discovered not only affects microplastics – particles with a size of 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters – but also nanoplastics in particular. These even smaller plastic particles are so small – about a thousand times smaller than the diameter of an average human hair – that they behave differently than larger pieces of plastic: they can penetrate our organs and cells.
A new world opened up
“This study actually opens the world of nanoplastics to us a little,” answers Marja Lamoree, Professor of Analytical Chemistry for Environment and Health (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam). She has been conducting similar research for some time and is not surprised by the number of 240,000 particles cited by the researchers. “It’s just that you see more when you zoom in further, but it underscores that we’re dealing with a very big problem, much bigger than long thought.”
Many of these types of nanoplastics can be found in a bottle of water, research shows. Using a special laser, the scientists examined spring water bottles from three American brands and came to the conclusion that only 10 percent of the plastic particles are microplastics. The remaining 90 percent consists of nanoplastics, which have so far been difficult to research because there have been no good techniques for it.
The researchers discovered, among other things, nanoparticles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the water, which was not surprising since most disposable bottles are made from it. Polyamides such as nylon have also been discovered in water filters. This suggests that at least the bottles and the filtering process are a source of the nanoplastics. For example, plexiglass was also found in the water.
Health risks
More research needs to be done on how dangerous ingestion of these plastics is for humans, but their effects on animals suggest that there are health effects for humans as well. Studies on animals show that microplastics, i.e. the slightly larger particles, disrupt their development and hormone levels and can impair the immune system. There is only speculation about the effect of nanoplastics.
“The smaller the particle, the more likely it is to be absorbed,” says Lamoree. “We certainly don’t know much about it, but you can imagine: if it’s a visible piece of plastic, for example, it won’t be absorbed as quickly by your intestines. However, when it comes to nanoplastics, then very small particles.” , you can imagine that this is the case. In animal experiments she also sees that the particles accumulate.
Carrier for bacteria and viruses
Lamoree also sees increasing evidence of the problems that plastic particles cause in cells. “In addition, all sorts of substances were added to the plastics to give them a property, for example dyes.”
The very small plastic particles can act as a kind of carrier for such substances, but also viruses and bacteria. They couldn’t get into the cells themselves, but since the plastic particles are able to do this, the substances also penetrate. It is also not ruled out that the particles play a role in intestinal diseases.
In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that there is not yet strong enough evidence of major health risks to humans. However, the WHO believed that further research was urgently needed. In this context, Lamoree is enthusiastic about the Netherlands. “The Netherlands has really made a significant contribution to research, and I also notice that doctors are very interested.”
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