Bottled water has 'dangerous levels of cancer-causing microplastics'

"The study, led by Sara Sajedi, a leading environmental management expert at Concordia University, found that people who regularly drink bottled water consume around 90,000 more microplastic particles each year than those who drink tap water. The potential health effects of ingesting these microscopic fragments have been increasingly documented, with research linking them to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, infertility, neurological damage and cancer."

"Sajedi described the health risks posed by single-use plastic bottles as 'serious', and called for greater awareness of what she described as a 'pressing issue.' 'Education is the most important action we can take,' she said. 'Drinking water from plastic bottles is fine in an emergency, but it is not something that should be used in daily life. People need to understand that the issue is not acute toxicity-it is chronic toxicity.'"

"Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments measuring as little as two micrometres-about two-thousandths of a millimetre. They make their way into food, water and even the air as plastic products degrade over time. In bottled water, they form during manufacturing, storage and transport - meaning drinkers ingest them directly from the source, rather than through the food chain. Recent studies have found microplastics in human lung tissue, placentas, breast milk and even blood, raising concern over how deeply they can penetrate the body."

People who regularly drink bottled water consume around 90,000 more microplastic particles each year than those who drink tap water. Microplastics can slip through the body's defences and lodge in vital organs, potentially increasing cancer risk. Ingested microplastics have been linked to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, infertility, neurological damage and cancer. Microplastics are tiny fragments as small as two micrometres that form in bottled water during manufacturing, storage and transport and enter food, water and air as plastics degrade. Microplastics have been detected in lung tissue, placentas, breast milk and blood, indicating deep penetration. Long-term health effects remain poorly understood due to lack of standardized testing and global monitoring.

Read at Mail Online