Are plastic particles in the drinking water dangerous for health?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Plastic particles in drinking water pose a "limited" risk to human health, but further research is needed to reassure consumers, said Wednesday the World Health Organization. Health (WHO).

For years, studies of particles detected in faucets and water bottles have raised public concern, but the limited data available seem reassuring, according to the World Health Organization's first report. associated with the consumption of food and drinks.

According to the UN, plastic particles interfere with sources of drinking water due to leaking sewage. This suggests that the packaging process is one of the reasons for the presence of plastic particles in some bottles of bottled water.

However, the WHO also explained that currently available studies on the toxicity of plastic particles are limited, pointing out that further studies are needed to solve some problems.

Plastic particles have three types of hazards, physical and chemical, as well as bacterial colonies.

The experts who drafted the report confirmed that despite its shortcomings, they had worked on the worst case assumptions and were convinced that the risk of plastic penetration into drinking water would remain limited if some data were to change.

Plastic pollution is so prevalent in the environment that it can be consumed up to five grams per week, which equates to credit card fees, according to a June study commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature.