NEWS
FOOD
HEALTH & WELLNESS
SUSTAINABLE LIVING
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA
© Copyright 2024 Engrost, Inc. Green Matters is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
WWW.GREENMATTERS.COM / FOOD

Your Favorite Sparkling Water Brands May Contain ‘Forever Chemicals’ — And There's More Bad News

Researchers detected these chemicals in several sparkling water brands, some of which showed their levels as high as 6 ppt.
PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO
Man with sunglasses drinks from a bottle of sparkling water (Representative Cover Image Source: Unsplash | Conor Brown)
Man with sunglasses drinks from a bottle of sparkling water (Representative Cover Image Source: Unsplash | Conor Brown)

Almost every kind of water has a certain concoction of chemicals lingering in it, whether tap or bottled. Usually, when this water travels through the treatment plant, the chemicals, if harmful, are pulled out. But there’s one group of chemicals that is notorious for sticking around for as long as 1,000 years before they start to degrade, per UNSW. Dubbed the “forever chemicals,” these chemicals resist death for nearly forever. Yet, their high threshold against water, oil, grease, and heat makes them attractive for human consumers who use them to create everything from non-stick cookware to stain-resistant fabrics to cans of bubbly sodas.

A glass of sparkling water with some ice cubes (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | Colin Behrens)
A glass of sparkling water with some ice cubes (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | Colin Behrens)

You might even find them lurking in those yoga pants, lipsticks, and takeaway noodle packs. But if this chemical were limited to just these externally usable things, it’d be harmless. Clothes and cosmetics are alright, but not food. Water, not at all. But it does. In 2020, Consumer Reports conducted a study on a variety of sparkling water brands and reported that many of them were contaminated with enormous quantities of these “forever chemicals,” a.k.a. “PFAS.” PFAS is an abbreviation for “per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances,” a group of chemicals that “are man-made for consumer products and have been used since the 1940s,” according to Health.

Scientist performs an experiment in a laboratory (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Olla Danilevich)
Scientist performs an experiment in a laboratory (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Olla Danilevich)

Over 15,000 PFAs exist on the planet today. While some of them have been banned, most are still in use among common household products and everyday essentials. The website explains that, like plastics, PFAs pose deadly risks to those who unknowingly consume them through air, water, or food. For instance, the chemical may trigger imbalances in cholesterol levels, digestive enzymes, and the functioning of the liver. From inflammation to thyroid disease, the list is endless. Not to mention how this chemical reduces the sperm count in a male and threatens the baby of a pregnant woman.



 

In the study, researchers tested 47 bottled waters, including 35 noncarbonated and 12 carbonated ones, to examine traces of heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Many of these carbonated waters showed signs of PFAs in high amounts. For instance, brands including “Perrier Natural Sparkling Mineral Water, La Croix Natural Sparkling Water, Canada Dry Lemon Lime Sparkling Seltzer Water, Poland Spring Zesty Lime Sparkling Water, Bubly Blackberry Sparkling Water, Polar Natural Seltzer Water, and Topo Chico Natural Mineral Water all had PFAS levels higher than 1 part per trillion,” according to the report.

A glass of sparkling water with a lemon slice dipped in it (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | Ri Butov)
A glass of sparkling water with a lemon slice dipped in it (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | Ri Butov)

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says that water is usually safe to drink only when it has a PFAs level less than 1 ppt. So, apparently, these numbers appearing in sparkling water are a surefire cause of concern. While the report didn’t mention what type of PFA was found in these bottled waters, many of them had amounts that exceeded an alarming 6 ppm, an absolute reason for worry.

Man drinks from a bottle of sparkling water (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | Hunny Taneja)
Man drinks from a bottle of sparkling water (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | Hunny Taneja)

Needless to say that one should avoid these sparkling water brands at all costs. Alternatively, one can opt for brands that offer sparkling water products with PFA levels less than 1 ppt. Health recommends Spindrift, Sanpellegrino, Dasani, and Schweppes. The crux is that no matter how attractive the advertising poster may seem, one should pay attention while selecting a sparkling water, because if it contains high PFA levels, no amount of boiling or water softening would work to squash the health risk.

POPULAR ON GREEN MATTERS
MORE ON GREEN MATTERS