Report: Aquafina, Dasani, Nestle Pure Life contaminated with plastic particles

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When you buy bottled water, you do it with the expectation that you’re getting a product that’s somehow healthier than tap water.

One thing you probably don’t bargain on is your bottle of water having a proliferation of plastic contaminants on the micro-particle level!

But that’s exactly what a new bombshell report found in several major bottled water brands.

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Leading bottled waters named in study

Americans drank 39.3 gallons of bottled water per capita in 2016. That makes it the #1 beverage in America, according to research from the Beverage Marketing Corporation.

The bottled water market is likely to expand further in the years to come. An expected 44.3% growth trajectory during the next three years would put the market on tap to be a $28.8 billion business by 2021.

At last check, Nielsen data found it was an $11 billion business in 2016.

No doubt you’ve drunk bottled water at some point in your life. Consumers cite “better quality than tap water” as the third most common reason for buying bottled water, according to a recent survey.

But that could just be an illusion.

A new report out of the State University of New York (SUNY) finds that major bottled water brands that you know and probably buy are contaminated with microscopic plastic particles. It’s believed that the particles enter the bottle during the packaging process.

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Researchers tested 250 bottles of water worldwide — in the United States and also in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico and Thailand.

A whopping 93% of the samples contained microplastics. While scientists are still uncertain about the long-term dangers of human exposure to microplastics, they could be linked to certain kinds of cancer, increases in ADHD and autism and even lower sperm count.

The SUNY study tested big-name bottled water brands like Aqua, Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, Nestle Pure Life and San Pellegrino.

Here are some of the results:

BRAND NAME LOWEST PARTICLES PER LITER COUNT HIGHEST PARTICLES PER LITER COUNT
Aqua 0 4,713
Aquafina 2 1,295
Dasani 2 335
Evian 0 256
Nestle Pure Life 6 10,390
San Pellegrino 0 74

You can see the full test results here.

Clark’s solution to the plastic water bottle dilemma

Want a cost-effective and ecologically sound alternative to bottled water? Try refillable water bottles.

If you’re a longtime follower of money expert Clark Howard, you’ll know that bottled water can be up to 2,000 times more expensive than tap water! That’s why Clark and many others on Team Clark opt for this route.

“I’m a filtered tap water guy,” Clark says. “I have a Contigo bottle that holds about a liter and a half. It’s BPA-free. I typically refill it three times during my [radio] broadcasts. I’m saving money every time I do that!”

Right now, our sister site ClarkDeals.com has a link to a deal on a three-pack of Contigo water bottles for for $17 with free shipping.

Another reason Clark prefers filtered tap water over bottled water? Tap water is regularly checked for purity, unlike bottled water.

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“I know there are scares from time to time with the safety of tap water. But I continue to believe tap water is safer than bottled water because it’s tested many times a day in most municipalities. Bottled water, on the other hand, is only tested several times a year in some facilities.”

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