Specifically, the researchers looked at five different water bottles from three popular brands (no names were given). On average, they found 240,000 particles of seven different types of plastic, most of them in nanoscale form.
Research into how harmful nanoplastics really are is still ongoing.
According to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Express by Professors Li Zhanjun of Guangzhou Medical University and Zeng Yongping of the School of Environment at Jinan University, up to 84 percent of nano/microplastics can be removed by boiling water and then filtering it.
It is the simplest and safest method of water purification that reduces the amount of microplastics people ingest through drinking water.
So where do microplastics end up in the water?
According to the study, the missing microplastics have moved from the water to the sediment. By co-precipitating with the microplastics, calcium carbonate in the sediment can extract them from the water.
Finally, based on global water quality and consumption practices, the study looked at the amount of microplastics ingested by adults and children through tap water and boiling water in 67 regions across six continents. They found that the amount of microplastics ingested through tap water was two to five times higher than the amount ingested through boiling water.
