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Nanoplastics are very tiny particles that are smaller than 1 micrometer in size. The health effects of nanoplastics are a complex and commonly misunderstood topic.
There are variations of nanoplastics that carry their own characteristics. The main two categories are engineered nanoparticles made from metal/carbon and nanoplastics floating throughout sources of water and air. Nanoplastics are molecules that produce a slow chemical burn that creates active oxygen.
“The equivalence of nanoplastics vary but usually enters the cell membrane, Professor of Duke University, Daniel Rittschof, said. The chemical properties determine where the particle ends up, the effects are very similar to inhaling buckyballs.”
Buckyballs are carbon balls full of nanoparticles fused into the shape of a soccer ball. The molecule is usually hollow and breathable through air from dust particles.
“You have to consider regular nanoplastics can act like a buckyball because they bind to other molecules,” Rittschof said.
Rittschof’s research on underwater sea life has proven the instant impact nanoparticles have on the brain and other organs of fish.
Most people associate nanoplastics with packaging contamination from the bottling process. However, engineers generate nanoparticles that can be found in the air and smartphones.
“We don’t deal with nanoplastics at all. Our focus is groundwater and it’s uncommon to find or look for nanoplastics during our water testing process,” Vice President of Dublin Chamber water operations, Tyler Chester said.
Most water filtration companies disinfect their water with chlorine or a UV light to balance pH levels. Ideally, surface water deals with microorganism intrusion.
Similarly, striking a nanoparticle with light can make reactive oxygen species bind to DNA, or break down.
At the Statesboro wastewater plant, technicians conduct a daily test run for the water's dissolved oxygen content.
“By testing the pH, we can see the water improvements that are helping the fish as a result of the process control,” Wastewater lab specialist Brain Smith said. Our purpose is to improve the water quality before it goes into the river. In reality, we’re environmentalists."
Hence, wastewater is reusable water until it tests positive for a particular type of bacteria.
“The number of nanoparticles in our water is only exceeded by the number of nanoparticles we’re breathing, ”Rittschof said.
Carbon filters, reverse osmosis, and some UV filters are commonly used to extract nanoparticles. However, researchers are still determining their effectiveness.
“Most of the time it’s not the polymer the plastic is made out of, it’s the compounds that come along from making the product,” Rittschof said.
Essentially, nanoparticles in water bottles come from a plastic that's broken down into smaller pieces.
“A regular plastic from Walmart has between 150-250 compounds of leach, mostly added to maximize profit by using the cheapest material to subsidize, Rittschof said. Plastics taste like food because of all the compounds that leach out of them.”
Researchers believe city water vs bottled water is highly variable. Therefore, the tinier a piece of plastic, the stranger it is as to what it can do in biology.
“It’s still questionable what the consequences will be on the human health as it pertains to nanoplastics, Rittschof said. The best we can do is test individual compounds and nanoparticles in the lab.”