The world’s leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that are likely seeping in during the packaging process, according to a major study across nine countries published Wednesday.
"Widespread contamination" with plastic was found in the study, led by microplastic researcher Sherri Mason of the State University of New York at Fredonia, according to a summary released by Orb Media, a US-based non-profit media collective.
Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.
"I think it is coming through the process of bottling the water.
Even smaller particles were more common — averaging about 325 per liter.
Experts cautioned that the extent of the risk to human health posed by such contamination remains unclear.
"We know that they are connected to these synthetic chemicals in the environment and we know that plastics are providing kind of a means to get those chemicals into our bodies."
– Time to ditch plastic?
– Previous research by Orb Media has found plastic particles in tap water, too, but on a smaller scale.
"It’s more urgent now than ever before to make plastic water bottles a thing of the past."

The brands considered by the study included Aquafina, Bisleri and Nestle Pure Life among others.
It found that 93% of the samples were contaminated with plastic particles.
If you included the smaller particles (6.5-100 μm), the average rose up to 325 microplastic particles per litre.
Researchers came to the conclusion that “contamination is at least partially coming from the packaging and/or the bottling process itself.” The study found that the polymers found in the water (54%) matched the make of common plastic used to make the cap of the water bottles.
“Averaging across lots by brand, Nestle Pure Life and Gerolsteiner showed the highest average densities at 930 and 807 MPP/L, respectively, while San Pellegrino and Minalba showed the lowest microplastic contamination with 30.0 and 63.1 MPP/L, respectively,” the study says.
Interestingly, when the researchers studied samples of the same brand which came in glass bottles instead of plastic, there was considerably less plastic contamination in the water packaged in glass bottles.
“This indicates that some of the microplastic contamination is likely coming from the water source, but a larger contribution might be originating from the packaging itself,” the study says.
“We found roughly twice as many plastic particles (>100 um) within bottled water as compared to tap water on average (10.4 vs. 5.45 particles/L).
While fibers made of 97% of the microplastics within the tap water study, they only composed 13% of the particles within bottled water,” the study says.
“[…] the data seems to suggest that at least some of the plastic contamination may be coming from the industrial process of bottling the water itself.

Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.
"Widespread contamination" with plastic was found in the study, led by microplastic researcher Sherri Mason of the State University of New York at Fredonia, according to a summary released by Orb Media, a US-based non-profit media collective.
Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.
"I think it is coming through the process of bottling the water.
On average, plastic particles in the 100 micron (0.10 millimeter) size range — considered "microplastics," — were found at an average rate of 10.4 plastic particles per liter.
Even smaller particles were more common — averaging about 325 per liter.
Other brands that were found to contain plastic contaminated included Bisleri, Epura, Gerolsteiner, Minalba and Wahaha.
"We know that they are connected to these synthetic chemicals in the environment and we know that plastics are providing kind of a means to get those chemicals into our bodies."
– Previous research by Orb Media has found plastic particles in tap water, too, but on a smaller scale.
"It’s more urgent now than ever before to make plastic water bottles a thing of the past."

LAHORE: The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) sealed 222 bottled drinking water brands for selling substandard water and working illegally, without having Pakistan Standard License, during last 18 months.
According to a report issued by PSQCA secretariat, as many as 753 water brands were identified in markets of the country and samples of many of companies failed, over which the PSQCA sealed some 222 brands on the spot.
On special directions of Federal Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain, PSQCA formed a task force to eradicate fake and illegal brands from the market, which started inspection in July 2016 and found a large number of brands were illegal, working without having Pakistan Standard (PS) mark in the country.
During market surveillance activities, it was observed that 222 brands of bottled drinking water brands (out of 753) were being operated illegally/without PSQCA License in the country and all were seized as per provisions of PSQCA Act1996 and Conformity Assessment Rules 2011.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2018.

Cannes Lions 2017: The brand endorser who cares about the environment – Ellie Goulding.
Singer Ellie Goulding took to the stage on day five of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and spoke about how she picks her brand associations.
I was shooting a commercial for Deichmann shoes and they were completely the opposite of what brands usually want ambassadors to do.
They weren’t taking extra shots of the shoes during the shoot and pushing the products."
Goulding also believes in associating with brands that do good for the environment.
The brand (Pantene) listened to her and replaced that with something that was recyclable.
Moving to music, Goulding spoke about how she’s matured from the girl who sang about heart-breaks to one with a strong personality.
"It began with ‘On My Mind’.
The song was about a one-night stand.I felt women hadn’t spoken about it like men and decided to go ahead with it," she said.
The song was shot in Vegas and showed the singer on a horse ride into a casino.

Essentia Water Hits Primetime with First National Integrated Brand Campaign.
The campaign, with a concentrated focus in key markets including Los Angeles, New York City and Portland, is based on Essentia’s belief that better hydration helps people do all the things that make them extraordinary and “unlocks their full potential” whether they’re an athlete, a musician, a computer programmer or a student.
We’re a democratic brand and we are calling out to all people who aspire to be a better version of themselves to join the Essentia Nation,” said Karyn Abrahamson, VP of Marketing and Brand Innovation at Essentia Water.
“We are also evolving our marketing efforts from purely product-centric to becoming an aspirational lifestyle brand that we believe people will connect with both physically and emotionally.
A brand that understands and cares about what they care about—healthy living and being at the top of their game.” Bottled water is now the number one drink in the U.S. for the first time in history, outpacing soda sales.
According to Beverage Marketing Corp, consumption of bottled water reached 39.3 gallons per capita in 2016, while carbonated soft drinks slipped to 38.5 gallons.
The premium unflavored bottled water category, where Essentia lives, has grown especially rapidly: approximately 20 percent annually over the past three years.
This increase of consumers looking for healthier alternatives to sugary drinks has allowed bottled water to break through, but with that comes the need for differentiation.
“Broadening our visibility across the nation puts Essentia in the primetime spotlight to compete successfully within the premium bottled water category.” About Essentia Water LLC Headquartered in Bothell, Washington, Essentia Water LLC produces supercharged ionized alkaline water with a 9.5 pH or higher that’s better at rehydrating.1 Pioneered in 1998, years ahead of industry trends, Essentia continues to be the #1 alkaline water brand sold nationally and the #1 selling bottled water in natural grocery stores.
Essentia Water is the only water included in the Physician’s Desk Reference and has been clinically shown to be better at rehydrating than a leading bottled water brand.1 It’s available nationwide in approximately 50,000 retail locations and Amazon.

Bottled water brand Voss adds sparkling lime and mint flavour.
The all-natural flavour is the result of ‘extensive research’ and, as well as providing standalone refreshment during the spring and summer, would make an ideal accompaniment to tequila and other spirits or cocktails.
“Sparkling water is currently one of the fastest growing categories in beverages, with flavoured sparkling growing even more quickly, as consumers look for healthier alternatives to sweetened, caloric drinks,” said Ken Gilbert, chief marketing officer for Voss Water.
“The new Voss lime and mint flavour scored extremely well with flavoured sparkling water drinkers and satisfies our consumers’ quest for healthier options.” A US-wide survey found that almost 60% of Americans focus more on healthy lifestyle choices, including healthier beverages, during warmer months.
In addition, 61% said that they try to drink more water during summer in an effort to lose weight and get healthier.
The new lime and mint product is unsweetened with no calories, made with Voss artesian water from Norway and available in the brand’s distinctive and iconic glass bottles.

If you’re feeling a little dehydrated, you should take a look at the best-selling alkaline bottled water brands in America.
I’m pretty sure most of us are dehydrated and should be consuming more water, which is why there are so many apps that can help you stay on track and drink more water.
Neutral water has a pH of 7, so any water with a pH above 7 is considered alkaline.
If you’re really stuck on the idea of healthy bottled water, you should also take a look at some bottled water brands without fluoride.
Let’s now take a look at the best-selling alkaline bottled water brands in America.
Rating: 4.1 Noah’s Spring water is infused with magnesium and it has an 8.4 pH level.
Rating: 4.1 This water has a pH level of 8, but it’s not your ordinary bottled water.
The fulvic trace makes the water naturally black, which makes it feel fancy.
Rate: 4.2 This reverse osmosis, ionized water helps balance acidity and stress.
The 9.5 pH balance is really high and it’s undergone immense purification and mineralization, which is why it’s one of the best-selling alkaline bottled water brands in America.

Bottled water brand Voss will run a US-wide awareness campaign to promote clean water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. The campaign kicked off on World Water Day yesterday, and will run for exactly one month until 22 April, which is Earth Day. It will aim to raise awareness of the fact that more than 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to clean drinking water. The brand will raise funds for water projects on the continent by working with the Voss Foundation – the fifth year that the company has supported the foundation’s mission through retail-based consumer promotions. In addition to in-store activities, an integrated communications effort with radio ads, social media activity and public relations will support the campaign. Voss Water chief marketing officer Ken Gilbert said:…

PepsiCo, Coca-Cola Fight Patriotism in Drought-Hit Indian State.
Shopkeepers in drought-hit Kerala state decided Wednesday to promote local brands over Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. beverages after counterparts in neighboring Tamil Nadu boycotted the multinational drinks.
“The root cause for the boycott isn’t the multinational companies, but the enduring fight between industrial users and farmers, especially in several drought-hit states,” said P.L.
India has at least 50 local drink brands, which are typically 20 percent cheaper than the global cola brands, brokerage Kotak Securities Ltd. said in a Feb. 23 report.
The association said it’s “deeply disappointed” with Kerala retailers’ call to boycott the the beverages since it hampers consumer choice, and said both companies use less than 0.5 percent of the water used by all industries in India, according to an emailed statement Wednesday.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo provide employment to 2,000 families in Tamil Nadu and help support more than 200,000 retailers, the association said.
“There is a political overtone to the boycott,” said Ramu Manivannan, a political analyst and head of the politics department at University of Madras in the Tamil Nadu capital, Chennai.
PepsiCo sought police protection for water being brought to a plant in southern Tamil Nadu in 2015.
Most companies share water with farms, which employ about half of India’s 1.3 billion people and contribute 18 percent of the $2 trillion economy.
Agriculture gets the lion’s share, leaving industrial users to fight with municipal water suppliers for the precious resource.