UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

The abundance of microplastics in the global environment has raised concerns about their transfer into various ecosystems, including water sources. Bottled drinking water, often considered a symbol of purity is not exempt from the infiltration of microplastics. The aim of this paper was to check for presence, if any, of microplastics in bottled drinking water. Overall, five top-brand water bottles available in supermarkets were analyzed. Microplastic contamination was found in all five brands of bottled water with almost similar concentrations with a mean size of 82 ± 22 μm with an average number of microplastics present was 15 ± 20 microplastics/ 30ml of water. Microplastics were filtered using appropriate-size filter paper. Key findings suggest that microplastics are indeed present in bottled drinking water with variations in concentration and polymer types. The sources of contamination, including the manufacturing process, packaging materials, and the environmental surroundings, are explored to shed light on potential entry points for microplastics. Further investigation of the contaminants is necessary to understand the discrepancy in the presence of microplastics in bottled water and essential precautions must be implemented in the purification process of bottled water packaging.