Context:
∙ A study has found that a litre of bottled water can contain more than one lakh particles of micro and nano plastics.
About the Findings:
∙ The Scientists used a custom Hyperspectral Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) imaging platform to capture multiple images of an object’s molecules at different wavelengths.
Findings:
∙ The investigation revealed the presence of around 2.4 lakh micro and nano plastic particles per litre of bottled water.
∙ It found an average of over a quarter of a million plastic particles per litre of bottled water, 90% of which were nanoplastics.
Microplastics:
∙ These are tiny fragments of plastic that are less than 5 millimetres in diameter. They originate from various sources, including cosmetics, city dust, road markings, and engineered plastic pellets.
∙ However, the majority of the primary microplastics in the world’s oceans come from the laundry of textiles (35%) and the abrasion of tires while driving (28%).
Nanoplastics:
∙ These are even smaller, with dimensions ranging from 1 nanometer to 1 micrometre.
∙ They are believed to be more toxic than larger microplastics as they can more easily enter the human body.
Prevalence and Impact:
∙ Microplastics and nanoplastics have spread to every corner of the planet, from the deepest parts of the ocean to the heights of Mount Everest.
∙ They have infiltrated the guts of seabirds, agricultural crops, human blood, and drinking water.
Threat to Human Health:
∙ The long-term health effects of consuming micro- and nanoplastics are still under investigation.
∙ However, it is known that nanoplastics are believed to be more toxic than larger microplastics as they can more easily enter the human body.
