Whether its mineral water, cosmetics, cleaning rags, clothing or food & beverage – microplastics lurk in numerous consumer goods that we use both day in, and day out.
Although the effects of microplastics on humans have yet to be unequivocally proven, the topic is increasingly becoming the focus of both public and scientific attention.
The fact that microplastics have far-reaching negative consequences for the environment and marine organisms has already been proven.
Microplastic particles can end up in our food via the air, seawater, freshwater and groundwater, dust and soil, as well as through manufacturing processes. Microplastics can also end up in food via packaging (e.g. shrink-wrapped fruit or to-go cups) and during cooking – for example, when textiles containing plastic, such as fleece or nylon, are worn.
A study by the University of Newcastle in Australia, published by WWF in June 2019, found that the average person ingests an estimated 5 grams of microplastics per week, depending on their consumption habits. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of a credit card.
According to expert Dr. Holger Sieg from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the following foods contain the most microplastics:
- fish
- seafood
- table salt
- mineral water
- fruit
- honey
- chewing gum
- beer
Improved measurement methods needed for clear determination of microplastic particles
The actual amount of microplastics that humans ingest through food, what types of plastic these are and what consequences the ingestion of plastic particles can have for the human body has not yet been sufficiently researched.
This requires improved, standardized measurement methods in order to clearly determine and compare microplastic particles.
For the reliable identification and characterization of microplastic particles, we at i3 have developed special membranes that simplify the detection and analysis of microplastic particles.
As a natural product, mineral water makes a significant contribution toward a conscientious diet. And it is the only foodstuff in Germany that has to be officially approved and is subject to strict regulations.
In addition to a high level of product safety and a transparent duty to provide information, the quality and purity of mineral water represents a high priority.
However, such purity can be impaired by two factors in particular:
- Metabolites from active substances in pesticides introduced into the mineral water.
- Production-related contamination from the manufacturing, bottling or storage of drinking water, e.g. metal abrasion from screw caps and/or microplastics from PET disposable, reusable and glass bottles.
In the year 2018 researchers at the University of Münster were able to prove that bottled water contains microplastic particles. All of the 38 mineral water bottles examined (reusable and disposable PET bottles, glass bottles and beverage cartons) contained plastic particles.
A recent study* in the year 2023 by scientists at Columbia University and Rutgers University, among others, also found that bottled water is even more contaminated with plastic than previously suspected.
A newly developed technology for measurement and calculation was used in this study and – in contrast to previous studies – is also able to detect plastic particles in the nano range (i.e. with particle sizes below 0.001 millimeters).
The analyzed samples contained 110,000 to 370,000 plastic fragments per liter of water. Ninety percent of which were nanoplastics and ten percent were microplastics.
Toxic nano- and microplastic particles contained in mineral water cannot be excreted or broken down by the human body (as of a size less than 150 µm).
The effects of these plastic particles on human health have yet to be sufficiently researched and therefore pose a risk to consumers.
analytica – the world's largest trade exhibition for analytics, laboratory technology and biotechnology – will take place in Munich from April 9 to 12, 2024.
We at i3 look forward to attending in order to present our microplastic filters i3 TrackPor PAR and i3 TrackPor PA as well as Agilent 8700 LDIR (a fast, automated solution for the identification, size measurement and semi-quantitative determination of smaller microplastic particles).
Are you also planning to be at analytica? Then please visit us at our Stand 223A in Hall A3.
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* Naixin Qian, Xin Gao, Xiaoqi Lang, Huiping Deng, Teodora Maria Bratu, Qixuan Chen, Phoebe Stapleton, Beizhan Yan, Wei Min: "Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy", January 8, 2024,
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2300582121