From Cosmos (9/1/24)…
Bottled water is swimming with microplastics & nanoplastics
Bottled water is filled with even more microplastics and smaller nanoplastics than previously thought, according to a new study from US researchers.
It’s well known that bottled water has more microplastics in it than tap water, both from the bottles and the processing. But a study published in PNAS has used newer technology to find 10 to 100 times more microplastic than older estimates.
These plastic fragments, which are smaller than 5mm, are typically counted by hand, making their detection a laborious process.
Nanoplastics, which are smaller than a micrometre – about the thickness of a human red blood cell – are even more difficult to track.
The researchers developed a technique called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, which in combination with computer algorithms, allowed them to identify microplastics faster.
