Microplastics and non-natural cellulosic particles in Spanish bottled drinking water

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 11089
• Main Authors: Gálvez-Blanca, Virginia, Edo, Carlos, González-Pleiter, Miguel, Fernández-Piñas, Francisca, Leganés, Francisco, Rosal, Roberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 15-05-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/638/169; 704/172/169; Bottled water; Cellulose - analysis; Cellulose - chemistry; Drinking water; Drinking Water - analysis; Drinking Water - chemistry; Fibers; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Microplastics; Microplastics - analysis; multidisciplinary; Particle Size; Plastic pollution; Polyethylene Terephthalates - analysis; Polyethylene Terephthalates - chemistry; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Spain; Water markets; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Spain
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62075-2

This investigation explored the presence of microplastics (MPs) and artificial cellulosic particles (ACPs) in commercial water marketed in single use 1.5 L poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles. In this work we determined a mass concentration of 1.61 (1.10–2.88) µg/L and 1.04 (0.43–1.82) µg/L for MPs and ACPs respectively in five top-selling brands from the Spanish bottled water market. Most MPs consisted of white and transparent polyester and polyethylene particles, while most ACPs were cellulosic fibers likely originating from textiles. The median size of MPs and ACPs was 93 µm (interquartile range 76–130 µm) and 77 µm (interquartile range 60–96 µm), respectively. Particle mass size distributions were fitted to a logistic function, enabling comparisons with other studies. The estimated daily intake of MPs due to the consumption of bottled water falls within the 4–18 ng kg
−1
 day
−1
range, meaning that exposure to plastics through bottled water probably represents a negligible risk to human health. However, it's worth noting that the concentration of plastic found was much higher than that recorded for tap water, which supports the argument in favour of municipal drinking water.