Bottled water consumption in the United States continues to rise every year, hitting over 12.8 billion gallons in 2016, or more than 39 gallons per person.
Now new joint research from the State University of New York at Fredonia and Orb Media have found a hidden danger lurking beneath the cap. The research found widespread contamination by micro-plastics.
In their analysis of 259 water bottles from 11 major brands, they found 93% had an "average of 10.4 plastic particles per liter of water," twice that of tap water. While scientists say the effects of consuming micro-plastics are unclear, previous studies have linked "certain kinds of cancer to lower sperm count to increases in conditions like ADHD and autism."
Have you made a conscious effort to reduce your bottled water consumption? What were the reasons?