A latest examine discovered bottled water contains far more pieces of plastic — tiny bits often known as microplastics and much more minuscule nanoplastics — than beforehand estimated. The findings increase questions on potential well being issues, however specialists say there some methods to cut back your publicity.

Just how a lot plastic are we speaking about? The common liter of bottled water accommodates round 240,000 detectable plastic fragments, researchers found within the examine, printed Monday within the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

What are nanoplastics and microplastics?

Micro- and nanoplastics are each tiny fragments of plastic which simply differ in measurement. Microplastics are small plastic items lower than 5 millimeters lengthy. These have been measured in massive portions in previous studies. 

In the most recent examine, researchers additionally examined nanoplastics, that are particles lower than 1 micrometer — a measurement “previously invisible under conventional imaging,” they wrote. For reference, the diameter of a human hair is about 70 micrometers.

They have been capable of finding nanoplastics by probing water samples with lasers that have been tuned to make particular molecules resonate. 

They discovered that nanoplastics made up 90% of the plastic particles detected within the water samples, whereas microplastics accounted for the opposite 10%.

In response to the examine, the International Bottled Water Association famous that there “currently is both a lack of standardized (measuring) methods and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of nano- and microplastic particles. Therefore, media reports about these particles in drinking water do nothing more than unnecessarily scare consumers.”

Can you keep away from plastics in water?

It’s very arduous to keep away from this sort of nanoplastic publicity, says Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public well being at KFF Health News. This is as a result of plastic could be present in any drinks we eat from plastic bottles, and it is in our food supply and in the environment as nicely.

One fundamental step you’ll be able to take? Avoid plastic packaging when doable. “That will help reduce some of the risks,” Gounder mentioned on “CBS Mornings.” 

“Don’t microwave your food in plastics,” she suggested. For meals storage, “Try to use  containers like glass or stainless steel. At least that’ll help reduce your exposure a little bit.”

Since some water filters can truly introduce different plastics, Gounder says, she suggests most individuals go straight to their faucet for ingesting water.

“Tap is generally going to be safe unless you have an area where there’s lead pipes or something like that,” she mentioned.

Previous research has additionally discovered microplastics current in faucet water, although far lower than in bottled water.

Are plastic water bottles unhealthy for you?

Researchers are not sure simply how dangerous microscopic items of plastics are for folks — it’s a topic of ongoing analysis. 

The International Bottled Water Association notes that there’s “no scientific consensus on potential health impacts.”

The World Health Organization said in 2019 that potential hazards related to microplastics are available in three types: from the particles themselves, the chemical compounds that make them up, and “microorganisms that may attach and colonize on microplastics, known as biofilms.”

“We don’t know if the plastic itself can cause health effects, but they are bonded to, or combined with, other chemicals like phthalates, for instance, that are what make plastic extra versatile,” Gounder explains. “So when you get these tiny pieces of plastic, you’re also getting exposed to these other chemicals.”

These chemical compounds, often known as “endocrine disruptors,” can mimic issues like estrogen and have hormonal results.

“Those hormones or higher exposures to those kinds of hormones can be associated with anything from diabetes, to neurocognitive effects in little kids to cancer. So that is why we have some real concerns about these exposures,” Gounder mentioned.

The examine’s researchers additionally word that “nanoplastics are believed to be more toxic since their smaller size renders them much more amenable, compared to microplastics, to enter the human body.”

Beizhan Yan, an environmental chemist at Columbia University, additionally believes there’s trigger for concern.

“When they are getting into the nano size, they can potentially get into the blood and then they can be transported to the vital organs,” he told CBS News.

-Aliza Chasan and David Schechter contributed reporting.