Now, researchers are finding that the amount of microscopic plastics floating in bottled drinking water is far greater than initially believed. The researchers found that the quantity of such particles was 10 to 100 times greater than previously estimated. “It turns out to be much more than that.” PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is a type of clear plastic that is commonly used for single-use water bottles. But the identification of nanoplastics — particles that measure just billionths of a meter — is raising alarms. But only 10% of the nanoparticles analyzed could be classified as one of those seven known plastics, the researchers found.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 09, 2024 07:03 UTC