WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Plastic particles in drinking water pose a "limited" risk to human health, but more research is needed to reassure consumers, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
For years, studies of particles detected in tap and bottled water have raised public concerns, but the limited data available seems reassuring, according to the first report by the world body on the health risks associated with eating and drinking.
Plastic particles interfere with drinking water sources through leaking wastewater, according to the UN. It suggests that the packaging process is one of the reasons for the presence of plastic particles in some bottled water bottles.
However, WHO also explained that currently available studies on the toxicity of plastic particles are limited, stressing that further studies are needed to resolve some issues.
Plastic particles present three types of hazards, physical and chemical, as well as bacterial colonies.
Experts who authored the report confirmed that despite its shortcomings, they worked on the worst assumptions and are confident that the risk of plastic entering the drinking water will remain limited if some data change.
Plastic pollution is so widespread in the environment that one may eat up to five grams of the substance per week, the equivalent of a credit card charge, according to a June study commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature.