🔬 Microplastics in bottled water: what the research says and which brands are safest

Most plastic-bottled water contains micro- and nanoplastics. A 2024 Columbia University study in PNAS counted about 240,000 plastic particles per liter across three popular brands, roughly 90% of them nanoplastics small enough to cross into tissue. The lowest-risk choice is water bottled in glass with a metal cap.

Where microplastics in bottled water come from

• The bottle itself (PET plastic), especially when it is squeezed, reused or left in heat.
• The cap. Opening and closing a plastic cap grinds off particles. Even glass bottles can have plastic-lined caps.
• The filtration and bottling line, including plastic membranes and tubing.

An earlier 2018 study of 259 bottles from 11 brands found microplastic contamination in 93% of them.

Lowest microplastics risk brands

These waters are either certified plastic-free or sold in glass with a low-risk cap, ranked by overall purity:

1. Panama Blue Water Glass Bottle — 96/100, glass
2. Eldorado Natural Spring Water Gallon — 95/100, glass
3. Lauretana Natural Mineral Water in Glass Bottle — 94/100, glass
4. Hawaii Volcanic Still Glass Bottle — 92/100, glass
5. Ophora Water Hyper-Oxygenated Half Gallon Glass Bottle — 91/100, glass
6. Galvanina Still Mineral Water Glass Bottle — 91/100, glass
7. Panama Blue Water Gallon — 90/100, plastic
8. Hallstein Water Gallon — 89/100, plastic

Full list: bottled water without microplastics.

Glass vs plastic vs aluminum

Aluminum cans and bottles are lined with a thin plastic or epoxy coating, so they sit in the middle. Cartons usually have a plastic liner too.

How to cut microplastics from your water

1. Choose glass bottles with metal caps.
2. Never leave plastic bottles in a hot car or in the sun.
3. Do not refill single-use plastic bottles.
4. At home, filter tap water. Reverse osmosis removes most microplastics. See the best RO systems.