Unveiling the hidden chronic health risks of nano- and microplastics in single-use plastic water bottles: a review

Elsevier | June 14th, 2025

Single-use plastic products, such as water bottles, have become ubiquitous in modern society, contributing significantly to the growing problem of plastic waste in la

Single-use plastic products, such as water bottles, have become ubiquitous in modern society, contributing significantly to the growing problem of plastic waste in landfills, rivers, oceans, and natural habitats. This poses severe threats to biodiversity and ecosystem stability. The emergence of microplastics (1 µm to 5 mm) and nanoplastics (less than 1 µm) has raised alarms about their harmful effects on human health. Nanoplastics are especially hazardous due to their smaller size and enhanced ability to infiltrate the human body. There are critical gaps in the literature regarding the contamination of nano- and microplastics from single-use plastic water bottles, emphasizing the urgent need for further research. Here we review, we examine the global impact of nano- and microplastics from single-use plastic water bottles on human health, drawing insights from over 141 scientific articles. Key findings include the annual ingestion of 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles by individuals, with bottled water consumers ingesting up to 90,000 more particles than tap water consumers. The literature reveals variations in the number of nano- and microplastics particles, their sizes, and a lack of information on their physical properties. Moreover, the review highlights the chronic health issues linked to exposure to nano- and microplastics, including respiratory diseases, reproductive issues, neurotoxicity, and carcinogenicity. We highlight the challenges of standardized testing methods and the need for comprehensive regulations targeting nano- and microplastics in water bottles. This review article underscores the pressing need for expanding research, increasing public awareness, and implementing robust regulatory measures to address the adverse effects of nano- and microplastics from single-use plastic water bottles.

Urban hydrology and water management— Present and future challenges

Urban Water (Elsevier) | March 1st, 1999

Urban hydrology is an applied science that will have an increasing role to play in the sustainability of human societies. Facing present growth of urban population, it is

Urban hydrology is an applied science that will have an increasing role to play in the sustainability of human societies. Facing present growth of urban population, it is increasingly difficult to find and utilize new sources of water necessary to satisfy growing water demand. For the poor, the residents of peri-urban and squatter areas, an ultimate poverty, the poverty of lacking clean water, is a result. To remove this kind of poverty should be a first priority target for all people and, especially, for people dealing with water management in urban areas. Growth of urban areas brings significant changes in physical properties of land surface increasing integrated vulnerability of inhabitants, agricultural land and rural ecological life supporting systems. Performance of technical solutions depends on climate as well as on social, economical and cultural conditions. Findings from urban hydrological studies based on collection of urban hydrological data, calculations and modeling constitute a necessary fundamental for meaningful water management not only in urban areas but also in entire river basins. Future challenges in urban water management include development of new technical solutions as well as logistic and organizational methods in order to turn present problems into future opportunities. The following current and emerging challenges are discussed in the paper: delivery of drinking water supply for growing cities, water for sanitation versus sanitation without water, recycling of wastewater nutrients, wastewater irrigation, urban agriculture, water to feed depleted aquifers, thoughts about possible future new system solutions, social equity and transfer of knowledge and new technology.

US drinking water quality: exposure risk profiles for seven legacy and emerging contaminants

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | September 23rd, 2023

Volatile organic compounds in groundwater used for public supply across the United States: Occurrence, explanatory factors, and human-health context

Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier) | March 11th, 2022

This systematic assessment of occurrence for 85 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in raw (untreated) groundwater used for public supply across the United States (U.S.), w

This systematic assessment of occurrence for 85 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in raw (untreated) groundwater used for public supply across the United States (U.S.), which includes 43 compounds not previously monitored by national studies, relates VOC occurrence to explanatory factors and assesses VOC detections in a human-health context. Samples were collected in 2013 through 2019 from 1537 public-supply wells in aquifers representing 78% of the volume pumped for public drinking-water supply. Laboratory detection limits for VOCs generally were less than 0.1 μg/L. Detections were reported for 36% of the sampled principal-aquifer area (38% of sampled wells) and were most common in wells in shallow, unconfined aquifers in urban areas that produce high proportions of modern-age and oxic groundwater. The disinfection by-product trichloromethane (chloroform) was the most commonly detected VOC associated primarily with anthropogenic sources (24% of the sampled area, 25% of sampled wells), followed by the gasoline oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether (8.4% of area, 11% of wells). Carbon disulfide (12% of area, 14% of wells) was examined separately because of likely substantial contributions from natural sources. Newly monitored VOCs were each detected in

Water Quality of Groundwater Used for Public Supply in Principal Aquifers of the Western United States

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | September 8th, 2020

Water Recommendations to the Next President

Pacific Institute | September 14th, 2020

The United States faces several severe and worsening water problems. Continuing to neglect these problems will impoverish and sicken this and future generations,

The United States faces several severe and worsening water problems. Continuing to neglect these problems will impoverish and sicken this and future generations, destroy beneficial aquatic ecosystems, and threaten our economy and food supply. Smart water policies will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, improve public health, and speed our economic recovery. In this letter, we offer a short assessment of four key problems and specific recommendations for addressing them.

Water Service Disconnections in California

Pacific Institute | October 1st, 2018

When a household fails to pay their water bill in full for more than a given period of time – one or two months – their water service can be disconnected. In

When a household fails to pay their water bill in full for more than a given period of time – one or two months – their water service can be disconnected. In addition to the original utility bills, additional fees are accrued at each step, from the first late payment through restoration of service. Households that struggle to pay their water bills on time can face serious financial challenges to maintain or restore water service. Lack of water in the home compromises the ability of people to wash their hands, clean their home, and safely prepare food. Water disconnections are associated with a higher rate of water-borne diseases in the community, and disconnected water renders housing legally uninhabitable and untenantable.1,2 As such, water disconnections are a serious concern for public health and housing security.

Water systems in California: Ownership, geography, and affordability

Utilities Policy (Elsevier) | August 10th, 2021

This study asks whether different types of water systems serve different types of communities and differ with respect to affordability. Using 2017 data for California we

This study asks whether different types of water systems serve different types of communities and differ with respect to affordability. Using 2017 data for California we match service area boundaries with census income data and rate structures to compare the geography, income distribution and affordability of water rates within communities served by systems of different ownership types. We find that for-profit and publicly owned systems serve communities of similar income distributions, while not-for-profit mutual water companies serve higher-income communities. Regulated privately-owned systems charge more for water while providing more low-income assistance and shutting off fewer households than publicly owned systems.

Water, Sanitation, and Climate Change in the United States Series, Part 2

Pacific Institute | October 15th, 2024

In the United States, federal, tribal, state, and local laws and policies exist to govern the provision of water and sanitation services to communities and homes. The law

In the United States, federal, tribal, state, and local laws and policies exist to govern the provision of water and sanitation services to communities and homes. The laws are designed to ensure the protection of public health and the environment; deliver sufficient, safe water for drinking, bathing, cooking, and other household needs; and remove and treat domestic (i.e., household) waste. People without complete plumbing or safe water live within the “water access gap.” As explored in the first report in this series, climate change—from extreme temperatures to droughts, floods, extreme storms, and wildfires—is making it hard to close this gap and keep it from growing. Water and sanitation systems in frontline communities already feel the disproportionate “first and worst” impacts of climate change to these systems and to their access to water and sanitation. Laws and policies should help anticipate and plan  or the incremental and catastrophic impacts of climate change and protect those most harmed by the effects. Unfortunately, in most cases, the climate is changing faster than the law can respond, thereby leaving frontline communities’ water and sanitation systems vulnerable to damage or destruction. This is part two in the three-part Water, Sanitation, and Climate Change in the United States series. Click here for part one and here for part three.

When Decentralization Fails: Governance and Inequity in California’s Drinking Water System

Western Political Science Association | April 4th, 2019

In the United States, there are more than 151,000 drinking water systems which operate at a variety of decision-making scales and under various governance and own

In the United States, there are more than 151,000 drinking water systems which operate at a variety of decision-making scales and under various governance and ownership structures (US EPA, 2015). This extreme level of decentralization and fragmentation may allow for local control and flexibility, but it has not guaranteed safe drinking water for all (Hughes & Mullin, 2017; Pannu, 2012). In California alone, there are more than a million people each year receiving unsafe drinking-water. To further our understanding of how system governance contributes to these drinking water disparities, we compile and analyze a novel dataset including all 2,886 of California’s active Community Water Systems and their health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations (2012-2018) in order to answer two important questions: 1) how is California drinking water governance organized at the system level? 2) Do certain types of governance structures out-perform or under-perform compared to others? We find that while control variables such as population size remain most determinative of system performance, there are significant differences in SDWA compliance between distinct governance arrangements. These findings highlight the important role that governance, in its broader conception, plays in contributing to SDWA noncompliance and leads us to argue that determining the role of governance in creating disparities, therefore, is an important prerequisite to understanding how different arrangement might best address them.