We already know you may be inhaling plastics, but you are probably drinking them too. A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found 240,000 nanoplastic particles per liter bottle on average between the three brands studied. In fact, microplastics are found at much higher levels in bottled water than tap water - which brings to question whether you should just drink tap water. One study from 2019 of water and other commonly consumed food and drink found it to be the most concentrated source.

Researchers from Columbia University used a new laser-guided technology to detect nanoplastics that had previously evaded detection due to their miniscule size.

The new technology can detect, count and analyze and chemical structure of nanoparticles, and they found seven different major types of plastic: polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate.

The filters used to filter the water before bottling are also frequently made from plastic.

Sadly, microplastics are now so pervasive that they’re nearly impossible to avoid.

Switching to tap water from plastic bottled water will likely significantly reduce your routine exposure to plastics.

Several water filters are specifically NSF/American National Standards Institute–certified to reduce microplastics, which means they’ve been rigorously tested in an accredited lab. They’re certified only to reduce since the filters cannot guarantee total elimination.

Boiling and filtering calcium-containing tap water could help remove nearly 90% of the nano- and microplastics present.