Its official – microplastics have been found in tap and bottled water.

A recent video by CNBC analyzed 159 water samples, sourced from both tap water and bottled water in 14 countries, and found that over 80% of all samples contained tiny plastic particles, with an average of 4.34 plastic particles per liter of water. Even more surprising, 94% of water samples from the United States contained microplastics, which topped the list.

Researchers expected that undeveloped countries would have higher instances of plastics in drinking water than developed countries, since developed countries have more complex infrastructure – yet results indicated that it didn’t matter. Microplastics were in drinking water sources regardless of wastewater and debris infrastructure. Soon there will be more plastic in the ocean then fish.

“It gets worse. Plastic is all but indestructible, meaning plastic waste doesn’t biodegrade; rather, it only breaks down into smaller pieces of itself, even down to particles in nanometer scale — one-one thousandth of one-one thousandth of a millimeter. Studies show particles of that size can migrate through the intestinal wall and travel to the lymph nodes and other bodily organs.” – Chris Tyree & Dan Morrison, Authors of Invisibles: The plastic inside us

Do you think switching to bottled water is a better option? Absolutely NOT. The study also found microplastics in water samples from main bottled water companies (COKE and PEPSI) including Evian, Dasani, and Aquafina. The authors note “a man may consume as many as 14 plastic particles a day, while a woman could consume up to 10 plastic particles a day” from just drinking the recommended dose of water, not to mention the amount of plastics already being consumed from eating seafood, beer, and salt. Having a good pre-filter that takes out heavy metals and plastics, is key to protecting yourself from ingesting plastics.

Although we know microplastics enter the marine environment by escaping wastewater treatment facilities – researchers pose that microscopic plastic particles may also be entering water sources from the air.  The simple fact that plastic bottles don’t break down for thousands of years, should really prevent you from ever drinking from a plastic bottle.

Main take away of the study – Americans over using and mass manufacturing of plastic have caused plastic particles to infiltrate our environment, food, drinking water, and now maybe even the air we breathe. Researchers stress that regardless of the environmental entry point, be it wastewater treatment facilities, atmospheric deposition, or beneficial reuse of sewage sludge for farm application – the ultimate source is human production and use of plastic.

Global plastic waste generated, discarded, incinerated, and recycled since 1960. Graph and data from R. Geyer, J. Jambeck, and K. Law. 2017. “Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made”. As of 2015, only 9% of plastic produced was recycled, while 79% collected in landfills or the environment.

It will be important for future studies to test the potential health impacts of microplastics able to enter bodily organs like lymph nodes, the effectiveness of various filtration methods to capture microplastics, and the amount and source of airborne plastics. For instance, just last month a study found that plastic consumption may be causing brain damage and behavioral disorders in fish.

What if you had another option?

Kangen water founded in 1974 (48 years ago). Kangen means “return to origin” in Japanese. Kangen Water® is alkaline water produced by Enagic’s alkaline ionizer and water filtration machines. For more than 40 years, Kangen Water® has been used in Japan to help restore the body to its original, alkaline state. These machines can transform your ordinary tap water into healthy, fresh tasting alkaline drinking water. Kangen Water® is superior to tap and purified water.

By choosing to drink alkaline water, you aid your body in returning to a balanced state. Kangen Water is a fresh, clean and great tasting way to obtain optimal health!

Kangen Water does not remove many minerals that are lost in the process of purifying bottled water.

Kangen Water has a negative oxidation-reduction potential or ORP.

THE PROPERTIES OF KANGEN WATER

Hydrogen Rich

Water that is Hydrogen rich has a high concentration of Molecular Hydrogen (H2). Molecular Hydrogen acts as an efficient antioxidant that diffuses rapidly across cell membranes and can reduce free radicals, suppressing oxidative stress.

Through the process of electrolysis, your tap water becomes Hydrogen rich Kangen Water®.

Antioxidant

Oxidation reactions in the body can produce free radicals, while antioxidants terminate these reactions. Elevated rates of oxidants and insufficient antioxidants in the body cause oxidative stress. A constant supply of external sources of antioxidants should be part of one‘s daily diet, to reduce oxidative stress and related damage. This is why everyone should not only care about the quantity of the water we drink, but also about the quality. Both are essential for our wellbeing.

Alkaline

As with most things in life, optimal health begins with balance. Our bodies must maintain a pH balance of 7.365, which is slightly alkaline. A pH scale is used to determine whether a substance is acidic or alkaline. On this scale 7.0 is neutral. Anything above 7 is considered alkaline and anything below 7 is considered acidic.

Negative ORP

Hydrogen rich water is characterised by exhibiting a negative ORP. A high ORP value (in positive numbers), indicates that a substance has a higher oxidizing potential. In generalised terms, for humans a positive or high ORP is better for the outside of the body (cleaning and sanitizing). A low ORP value (in negative numbers) indicates that a substance has a higher antioxidizing potential, and is preferred for oral consumption. Just like pH, ORP values are an important measurement for determining the quality of water.

Please see “The Advantages of Electrolyzed Water” to find out how you can use the different water types produced by the Kangen Water machine in your household, saving you money on cleaning products and relieving the environment!