Bottled water found to contain tens of thousands of ‘tiny plastic particles’ in new study

A new study from Columbia University found that each bottle of water can contain hundreds of thousands of nanoplastics. Researchers, public health experts and bottled water groups chimed in.

Researchers from Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, and Columbia Mailman School of Public Health in New York found that each liter of water contained around 240,000 of these plastic fragments, much higher than previously thought. "Media reports about these particles in drinking water do nothing more than unnecessarily scare consumers." "While there is evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics are entering the food supply … there is a lack of evidence demonstrating that microplastics or nanoplastics occurrence in food poses a risk to human health." Melissa Rudy is health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. 

Because nanoplastics are so tiny, the concern is that they could make their way into people’s bloodstreams and organs and potentially enter individual cells, the researchers cautioned in a press release from the university.