But one researcher says a hazard is lurking in these seemingly healthy drinks.
News Center 7 Anchor Cheryl McHenry looks at these bottled water worries, and takes a closer look at what we’re really drinking.
WATCH THE SPECIAL NEWS CENTER 7 REPORT on Monday, May 14, beginning at 5 p.m. That bottled water you so often drink is likely contaminated with microplastic particles, according to a new investigation from researchers at the State University of New York at Fredonia and journalism organization Orb Media.
Your bottled water is probably contaminated with tiny plastic particles, health experts say Here are five things you need to know before you grab for that plastic water bottle again:
Through an analysis of 259 water bottles from 11 brands sold across nine countries, including the United States, scientists found 93 percent were contaminated with an average of 10.4 plastic particles per liter of water.
That’s twice the amount of contamination typically found in tap water.
"In this study, 65 percent of the particles we found were actually fragments and not fibers," lead researcher Sherri Mason told AFP.
Major brand names such as Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, Nestle Pure Life and San Pellegrino were among the water bottles tested.
Previous research has linked synthetic chemicals often found in plastic to “certain kinds of cancer to lower sperm count to increases in conditions like ADHD and autism,” Mason said, prompting calls for further studies on the possible health implications of plastics pollution.
According to the research, the plastic debris found in the water bottles included polypropylene, nylon and polyethylene terephthalate, which is used to make bottle caps.