Tap water is ‘cleaner than bottled water’ because it does not contain substances linked to cancer

There is probably one on your desk, in the kitchen or on your bedside table.

As much as three-quarters of all the bottled water we drink could contain harmful chemicals linked to cancer, worrying research has found.

Scientists in Qatar found that between 10 and 78 percent of bottled water contains pollutants, including microplastics – microscopic particles that enter the bloodstream and are thought to disrupt various bodily processes.

Tap water, on the other hand, is much safer to drink because it meets “strict quality and safety standards,” the researchers said.

Microplastics are invisible to the human eye. plastic fragments as small as two micrometers, or two-thousandths of a millimeter.

These particles enter food, water supplies and even the air as plastic products naturally break down.

More and more research has shown that they can cause cancer, heart disease, dementia and even lower sperm quality.

Scientists from Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar who conducted the latest research also found traces of other contaminants, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA).

It is thought that they break off and enter the water when bottles are squeezed or the cap is opened and closed repeatedly.

They can also leak into water if a bottle is exposed to heat, such as in a warm room, in the car on a hot day, or outside in the sun.

Phthalates are used to make plastics more durable. They are known to disrupt hormone production in the body.

BPA is a chemical used to make food packaging stronger and less susceptible to corrosion or damage.

They have both been linked to infertility, PCOS, asthma, and some cancers.

The UK follows the EU’s BPA safety standards and recommends a safe daily exposure of 0.2 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day.

But it is thought that both substances only pose a greater health risk at high concentrations.

Writing in the diary, BMJ Global Healththe scientists said: ‘Although short-term safety thresholds exist, the long-term effects of these pollutants remain largely unknown.

‘Reliance on bottled water has significant health, financial and environmental costs, making it urgent to re-evaluate its widespread use.’

They also urged restaurants and other public spaces to stop using bottled water and instead use tap water.

Microplastics are invisible to the human eye. They are plastic fragments as small as two micrometers, or two thousandths of a millimeter.

Tap water is much safer to drink because it meets “strict quality and safety standards” and there is no risk of “harmful chemicals leaching from the plastic bottles,” the researchers said.

Microplastics have been a concern to scientists for decades.

Researchers are afraid because the smaller things are, the easier they can enter our bodies.

Previous studies have shown that the average person ingests about five grams of plastic per week, which is equivalent to a credit card.

However, experts warn that there is much more to it than that, as not all foods have been analysed for their plastic content.

It is also thought that people inhale up to 7,000 microplastics per day, raising concerns that these substances, like asbestos and tobacco, pose a health threat.