Doctors are urging people to reconsider their preference for bottled water over tap water.
Research shows that as much as 80 percent of bottled water on the market today contains microplastics and other substances linked to cancer, fertility problems, developmental delays in children and metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
In contrast, tap water in developed countries like the US and the UK is much safer to drink because it meets “strict quality and safety standards,” the Qatari doctors said.
Plastic bottles leach chemicals, including PFAS and phthalates, into the water, which have been linked to cancer, developmental delays, fertility problems and more.
Discarded bottles can also indirectly harm our health, by leaching toxic ‘everlasting chemicals’ into soil and water, poisoning animals and ending up in our food.
In an article published in the prestigious journal BMJ Global Health, they conclude that, contrary to popular belief, tap water is the safer option.
According to the International Bottled Water Association, Americans drink about 15 billion gallons of bottled water each year, which equates to about 45 gallons per person.
The doctors at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar also stressed that buying, throwing away and recycling plastic bottled water also leads to the emission of methane and greenhouse gases, which fuel global warming.
In the paper, they wrote: ‘Reliance on (bottled water) carries significant health, financial and environmental costs and calls for an urgent re-evaluation of its widespread use.’
The EPA standards for tap water are stricter than the FDA standards for bottled water.
It is estimated that 10 to 78 percent of bottled water tested contains microplastics. These are particles smaller than five millimeters. These particles damage the body’s endocrine system, which regulates human hormones. This can lead to fertility problems, developmental delays and ovarian cancer.
They can also inflame cells in the lungs and digestive tract, which can lead to chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease, chronic heart disease and hardening of the arteries.
Nanoplastics found in bottled water have been shown to affect the hormone-producing system in the body, potentially increasing the risk of cancer and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and overactive thyroid.
Bottled water also leaches PFAS, or forever chemicals, into the water. When PFAS enter the body, they settle in the bloodstream, kidneys, and liver.
A 2007 estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the total percentage of Americans with PFAS in their blood at a whopping 98 percent.
Some variants of PFAS have been shown to increase LDL levels or ‘bad’ cholesterol that contributes to the formation of plaque in the arteries, which slowly blocks blood flow in the arteries and significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes.
Long-term exposure to PFAS – which is not impossible given its constant presence in homes – can seriously damage the liver.
Bottled water also contains phthalates (which are used to make plastic more sustainable) and bisphenol A (BPA).
Phthalates and BPA are also hormone disruptors and have been linked to breast cancer, diabetes, reproductive and developmental problems, heart disease and chronic respiratory problems, behavioral problems and ADHD in children.
The Qatari doctors said: “While there are short-term safety thresholds, the long-term effects of these pollutants remain largely unknown.”
The Environmental Working Group, a watchdog organization, tested 10 brands of bottled water produced by Walmart and Giant supermarkets and found 38 different pollutantsincluding disinfection by-products, industrial chemicals, radioactivity and bacteria.
Some of the chemicals detected have been linked to health problems, including cancer and methemoglobinemia (also known as blue baby syndrome). Two brands tested even had a chemical profile identical to municipal tap water, making them indistinguishable from regular tap water.
This wasn’t the first analysis to find problems with bottled water. Texas scientists evaluated 35 brands of bottled water and found that four were contaminated with bacteria. And in 1999, the Natural Resources Defense Council tested 103 bottled waters and found contaminants such as microbes and regulated chemicals in about half.