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Can a litre of plastic water bottle impact your gut and heart health? Doctors decode new study | Health and Wellness News
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Next time you think of drinking water from a disposable plastic bottle, consider if there is another workable option, like carrying water in portable steel bottles. For plastic bottled water, a new study has found, may be containing hundreds of thousands of potentially harmful tiny plastic particles that go into our bloodstream and affect our organs.
Research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that a litre of water in a plastic bottle contained an average of about 240,000 detectable plastic fragments — 10 to 100 times more than previous estimates. “The existence of microplastics [particles measuring one micrometre, or 0.001 millimetre, to five millimetres in length] and possibly even nanoplastics [less than 1 micrometre] has recently raised health concerns,” wrote Beizhan Yan, PhD, an environmental chemist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Pallisades, New York, and his co- authors. Just for context, human hair is about 70 micrometres across.
Plastic particles can break off when bottles are squeezed or when caps are unscrewed or screwed back on. Excessive heat exposure can also cause plastic to break down. The study suggested that more than 105 particles were present in each litre of bottled water, the majority of which were nanoplastics.
What are nanoplastics and how do they affect a person’s health?
Says Dr Alokit Gulati, senior gastroenterologist, Primus Super Specialty Hospital, Delhi, “Their small size can trigger inflammatory responses in the body. The long-term effects remain uncertain and we need sustained research to understand them.”
Ingested micro and nanoplastics get easily absorbed in the intestine. “They are transported into the liver, where they get deposited. Animal models have shown that this takes around 15 minutes to happen. Once within the liver, these particles cause inflammation and cell death of the hepatocytes or liver cells. In the lungs, they damage blood vessels and tissue,” says Dr Charit Bhograj, interventional cardiologist, Tricog Health, Bengaluru.
Various studies have already established their impact on heart health. “While previous studies have considered direct exposure to external environment, the recent study, titled Detection of Various Microplastics in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery by American Chemical Society, found microplastic specimens in cardiac tissues obtained from a sample size of 15 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Nine types of microplastics were identified across different heart tissues, with sizes reaching up to 469 mm in diameter. Previous animal studies had shown how these trigger inflammation within the heart’s cells (myocarditis) and thicken the coverings of the heart (pericarditis). So they can cause alterations in heart rate and abnormal heart rhythm,” adds Dr Bhograj. Microplastics can damage the endothelium of the blood vessels, which could lead to blockages. “These particles alter the activity of blood cells, which could result in an increased tendency to clot,” he says.
A Malaysian study in 2021 had indicated an impact of nanoplastics on oxidative stress, inflammatory reactions and metabolism disorders. Mouse studies have shown how micro and nanoplastics could raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease, disrupt foetal development and even impact fertility. But all earlier studies focussed on pristine polymers that are uniform in size and composition. The impact of nanoplastics could be more complex.
Are there any preventive measures?
Dr Gulati is all for minimising single-use plastics, ensuring proper waste disposal, choosing tap water, using filtration systems and staying informed. “Try to use steel for food storage instead of plastics,” he says.
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