Scientists have made a disturbing discovery: human brains contain microplastics, and at higher concentrations than other organs. Worse, brain levels have jumped 50% in just eight years.
You have to remember that plastic containers aren’t washed before they are filled with product. That’s often where much of the micro/nano plastics come from.
It’s been no secret for years now that nanoplastics are lurking in bottled water and in products packaged or wrapped in other kinds of plastic. But new research has called attention to just how big an issue these particles may be.
A study published in January 2024 used new methods to analyze just how many nanoplastic particles really are floating around in the average plastic bottle of water. They found that a liter of bottled water can contain as many as 240,000 tiny plastic fragments. That number is 10 to 100 times more than previous estimates.
That would seem to be the explanation on the face of it. Piping is made from heavier duty plastic. But I’ve heard that PVC can start leaking some nasty chemicals over the decades. Is that better or worse than microplastics?
I believe I’ve heard that PEX actually breaks down and starts leeching chemicals into the water faster than PVC. It’s also a cheaper material. Most of the houses I’m familiar with are still installing PVC.
The thing is that most of our piping is plastic. So how is tap water so much better?
You have to remember that plastic containers aren’t washed before they are filled with product. That’s often where much of the micro/nano plastics come from.
That’s interesting and sounds about right. Do you have any links on this subject?
Do you have a source on that? I find it hard to believe we put water into unsanitized bottles.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2300582121
On average, disposable plastic bottles shed microplastics much more prolifically than plastic water piping.
That would seem to be the explanation on the face of it. Piping is made from heavier duty plastic. But I’ve heard that PVC can start leaking some nasty chemicals over the decades. Is that better or worse than microplastics?
PVC fell out of use in the 2000s, most buildings use PEX now; but I don’t know how that compares.
you mean, they don’t use PVC in any new buildings anymore, but older buildings sti have them, right?
I believe I’ve heard that PEX actually breaks down and starts leeching chemicals into the water faster than PVC. It’s also a cheaper material. Most of the houses I’m familiar with are still installing PVC.