You Have Been Drinking Plastic All Along!

What is the one thing that you consume every day and is essential for the survival of life on earth that you don’t expect to have plastic in it? I hate to be to break this down to you, but it is water. The water which you drink every day has plastic in it. How? Let us dive into it. 

If it comes down to naming the present age, the last 30 years, in particular, we would definitely call it the Plastic age. The invention of plastic was revolutionary and was praised as man’s brilliance. It was light, easy, and can be molded into anything as per the use. Within a short period of time, it almost replaced metal for items of daily use such as pipes, buckets, furniture, and numerous other items. The market was full of colourful plastic items that were cheap and easy to maintain. As it was cheap, people began to look at it as a dispensable product and a new term was tossed, ‘use and throw’ which further became a way of life. Plastic bags and bottles have become the most commonly used items. 

But plastics have played a pivotal role in Earth preservation measures in recent years, and we have seen how their usage has proved to be destructive to the environment as well as marine life. Almost every day we see heartbreaking pictures of various animals and marine species ingesting pieces of plastic. At least 260 species, including invertebrates, fishes, turtles, seabirds, and mammals, have been reported to ingest or become entangled in plastic debris, which results in impaired metabolism, and reduced reproductive output, ulcers, lacerations, and earth. However, ingestion is a problem for species that specifically choose plastic items because they mistake them for food. This incidence of ingestion of plastic can be extremely high in some populations. 

However, these pieces of plastic are visible to the naked eye. It's easy to see and find ways to deal with plastics of macro-scale size. But what can we do about nanoscale-sized plastic particles that are extremely difficult to detect with the naked eye? This is the question that researchers have been tackling in recent years since they found that an average person potentially ingests 5 grams of microplastics every week. Though the adverse effects of this consumption are not yet well understood. 

One of the many recent developments in the understanding of the problem of plastic pollution is the existence of phthalates in water. 

What are Phthalates? 

Phthalates which are also called phthalate esters are a group of chemicals that are often used to make plastics more flexible and less prone to breaking. They are also used as solvents for other materials,  as well as are used in several perfumes, hair sprays, adhesives and glues, cable jacketing, automotive products, toys, and even food packaging materials. So it’s safe to say that we are completely surrounded by Phthalates. And due to leaching, disintegration, and weathering, they can and do make it into the water and eventually our bodies. 

Source: Phthalate Blog, WordPress

Phthalates in Drinking Water

Although food is the primary source of exposure to phthalates in the general population, other sources, especially drinking water may also cause a significant contribution. Monitoring of phthalates in aquatic environments which include industrial and municipal wastewaters, groundwater, river water, seawater, stormwater, and even drinking water has indicated that the CEC (Contaminants of Emerging Concern) are widely distributed in water resources. And hence, the high potential of water pollution due to phthalates can be predicted. 

Exposure to microplastics in drinking water has also been linked to several health outcomes across adult and child populations, the most well-studied being obesity. Studies have shown endocrine-related effects such as poor sperm quality and low sperm count in adult males and delayed pubic hair development in boys. The association of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) has also shown an increased risk of asthma. The National Academy of Sciences has listed phthalate as probable endocrine disruptors and carcinogens and emphasizes the need to identify the most important sources of phthalate exposure. 

And hence, exposure to phthalates in water has become an emerging area of public health concern. Phthalates are also present in surface waters serving as municipal source waters because of the industrial discharge of solid plastic waste. But the threshold of the consumption of phthalates by humans is not yet determined. Further studies should help examine if this low-level but potentially continuous exposure from multiple sources could pose a potential health threat.