Could it be the summer scandal? Analyzes from an investigation by the French Biodiversity Office show that Mineral Water Contrex and Hépar present microplastic concentrations deemed alarming. These would be linked to wild landfills near the bottling sites. The revelations, relayed by Mediapartreport “exorbitant” rate for waters marketed as “pure”.
Amazing volumes and concentrations
The analyzes launched in 2021 by the OFB indeed reveal the presence of 515 particles of microplastics per liter in counterx water. And 2,096 particles per liter in hepar water. Or concentrations ranging from 51,000 to 1.3 million times higher than those observed in lakes, rivers and rivers.
Why these two references in particular? The field survey evokes the presence, at the exit of boreholes supplying the traffic jam lines, microplastics with concentrations significantly higher than the averages observed in water tables. The magistrate responsible for the investigation speaks of “immeasurable values” found in certain analyzes.
That’s not all. Médiapart also evokes considerable volumes of abandoned waste near traffic jam sites (several hundred thousand cubic meters stored in the open air in the Vosges). According to the investigators, they have contributed to the continuous introduction of plastic particles in the soils, the surface and underground waters downstream of the discharges.
Nestlé Waters refutes the contamination of its waters
Faced with revelations, Nestlé Waters reacted by highlighting her own analyzes. “”All analyzes carried out by laboratories accredited for the search for microplastics contradict the hypothesis of the presence of microplastic pollution in our boreholes “. But the judicial authorities, they considered sufficient element bundle to open a procedure. A trial is scheduled for November.
Invisible health risks in water?
In terms of health, analyzes recall that microplastics are invisible to the naked eye and can be ingested. Several scientific studies have shown that they can enter blood circulation, potentially reaching vital organs. Microplastics transport toxic substances (pesticides, heavy metals, industrial pollutants) and therefore affect the intestinal microbiota. All this can cause inflammation, even immune reactions in the body
This latest study puts the absence, in France, of a regulatory threshold applicable to microplastics in stamped water. The legal consequences will therefore depend on the results of additional expertise and the decisions of the court.
As a reminder, according to another study mentioned by True Medical, only two references escape contamination:
- The Source Montclar crossroads;
- The 1L Evian.