Shocking Truth: Daily Bottled Water Drinkers Swallow 90,000 Extra Tiny Plastic Pieces Every Year

New research shows that people who rely on bottled water every day are taking in a huge amount of invisible plastic particles—about 90,000 more each year compared to those who don’t.

These tiny bits, called microplastics, are so small you can’t see them, but they come straight from the plastic bottles into the water you drink.

The study comes from researcher Sarah Sajedi at Concordia University in Canada. She looked at over 140 scientific papers and found that everyone gets some microplastics from food and water—around 39,000 to 52,000 particles a year on average. But bottled water adds a massive extra load.

Sajedi got inspired after seeing beautiful beaches in Thailand covered in plastic trash, mostly bottles. That pushed her to study how these bottles harm our bodies.

Microplastics are pieces smaller than 5 millimeters, and even tinier nanoplastics are under 1 micrometer. They break off from bottles during making, storing, shipping, or just from heat, sunlight, or squeezing.

Once swallowed, these particles can get into your blood, reach organs like the brain or heart, and cause ongoing inflammation. They might mess with hormones, hurt reproduction, damage nerves, or raise cancer risk. Scientists aren’t 100% sure about long-term effects yet because testing is hard and tools are expensive.

“Bottled water is okay in emergencies, but not for daily use,” Sajedi says. “We need to think about possible harm over time.”

Governments are banning things like plastic bags and straws, but bottled water isn’t tightly regulated, even though it directly affects health.

Experts say switching to tap water or reusable bottles is better for your health and the planet. Safe drinking water should not come with a side of plastic.

This research highlights a hidden pollution problem and calls for bigger changes to protect our health.