The hidden influences of bottled water

The harmful effects of plastic on our environment are fairly well known to most people. But what if there are other hidden threats lurking in single-use plastic water bottles, for example? We are talking about nano-plastic particles present in plastic water bottles. How harmful is this to humans and the environment?

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The emergence of plastic

Have you ever wondered what plastic really is? We encounter this material everywhere - from the bottles we drink from to the packaging of our food. In a nutshell, plastic is a synthetic polymer, or a material made by humans. It is based on hydrocarbons, such as petroleum or natural gas, and is produced through a process called polymerization. This means that small molecules, called monomers, are assembled into long chains to form polymeric materials.

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The first true plastic, called Bakelite, was invented in the early 20th century by Leo Baekeland. Bakelite was revolutionary because it was heat-resistant and electrically insulating. This allowed it to be used for various applications, such as electrical switches and telephones.

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After Bakelite, the plastic industry developed rapidly and all kinds of new plastics were discovered and produced. This form of plastic, made from petroleum derivatives, is also known as plastic. It is used in a variety of products, such as furniture, toys and packaging materials.

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Plastic is cheap and easy to produce, allowing it to be manufactured in large quantities. Unfortunately, the popularity of plastic also has a downside. In the 1990s, it became increasingly clear that plastic causes a huge environmental problem. This is because it is not biodegradable and can therefore accumulate in the environment. About 44% of all plastic is used for disposable packaging such as bottles. Plastic is also harmful to animals, ecosystems and to our own health. 

The once revolutionary invention has led to growing concern and calls to reduce plastic waste. In 1997, Captain Charles Moore discovered a floating plastic garbage dump in the vast ocean. What later came to be known as the "plastic soup. 

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Current state of affairs

Currently, we are still consuming tons of plastic together. Some 9.2 billion per year, 5 billion of which ends up in landfills. Approximately between 5 and 13 million of these flow into our oceans. Most of all the plastic is disposable packaging for water and soft drink bottles, among other things. 

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Fortunately, in recent years there are more initiatives to reduce the use of disposable plastic and find alternatives. But still today's society is still very polluting. Especially in the beverage industry, this is still a big problem.

Harmful particles in drinking water

Plastic water and soft drink bottles have been produced, packaged and transported for decades. They are portable and readily available. But these bottles can contain small particles of water that leak from the plastic and get into our drinking water.

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These particles, also called microplastics, are tiny pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. They can come from various sources, such as synthetic fibers, cosmetics and even tire wear. But how do they end up in our plastic bottles?

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Plastic bottles are known to be produced from petrochemical compounds, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). During the manufacture of these bottles, small particles of plastic may seep into the water. These particles may come from the machinery and equipment used to make the bottles, as well as from the plastic containers in which the bottles are stored and transported.

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Although most people think that drinking these particles of water is harmless, numerous studies have shown that microplastics can enter our bodies and have adverse effects on our health. This is again evident in new research by scientists at Columbia University in New York.

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Nanoplastics in your drinking water

The researchers found that it is not just microplastics - particles that are 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters in size, but mainly nanoplastics. These are even smaller plastic particles. As small as the diameter of an average human hair. If you drink an average of 2 liters of water a day from bottled water, you could have 480,000 pieces of nano-plastic in your body.

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In addition to the potential health risk of nanoplastics, microplastics are also a major threat to the environment. They end up in rivers, oceans and other bodies of water, where they adversely affect the ecosystem and the animals that live in them. Because microplastics are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment for centuries. How dangerous the ingestion of these plastics is to humans needs further study. Their effect on animals, however, has been studied further. Research shows that in animals their development and hormone levels are disrupted and the immune system is affected. There are suspicions about the effect of nanoplastics.

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In brief

• Plastic is a synthetic polymer material made from hydrocarbons such as petroleum or natural gas.
• The use of plastic is widespread and found in various products, including bottled water.
• Plastic is lightweight, inexpensive and can be easily molded into different shapes.
• Unfortunately, plastic can break down into tiny particles, referred to as nano-plastics, which can be found in bottled water.
• The presence of nano-plastic in bottled water raises questions about its potential health and environmental impact.

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Sustainable alternatives

Fortunately, there are ways, such as sup legislation in which we can reduce this threat to both people and the world we live in. If you want to stop using plastic bottles, you can switch to a water tap. The water tap also expressed as a water dispenser easily connects to your tap water. A water tap filters harmful substances and preserves the minerals of the tap water. 

Do you want to drink completely sustainably? Then you can always reuse your own reusable bottle made of stainless steel. These bottles are durable, easy to clean and prevent microplastics from entering your drinking water.

In addition, it is important to become aware of our consumption of plastic in general. Reducing the use of single-use plastic bottles and pursuing a clean and environmentally friendly lifestyle can make a big difference. By choosing nice cold tap water from a water tap, we can do our part at the office or in the hospitality industry to reduce the demand for plastic bottles and thus the number of microplastics in our drinking water.

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