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SERS of Bottled Water: Automated PET Nanoplastic Detection and Quantification.
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Researchers tested commercial bottled water using a light-based detection method (SERS) combined with computer analysis to find tiny PET plastic particles. The method found about 17 million nanoplastic particles per half-liter bottle, along with other materials like pigments and mineral residues, using a quick process requiring minimal sample preparation.
Nanoplastics represent an emerging contaminant of growing environmental and public health concern, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) being on topic due to its dominant use in beverage packaging. This study presents a SERS approach for the detection and quantification of PET nanoplastics in commercial bottled water, combining SERS with colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and commercial solid SERS substrates, with automated Pearson correlation spectral classification. Mapping SERS samples of PET-bottled water combined with a Python identification algorithm enabled the detection of PET nanoplastics, while SEM-EDX analysis confirmed the presence of nanoscale carbon-oxygen particles consistent with PET stoichiometry. Beyond PET, phthalocyanine pigment nanoparticles, likely originating from bottle package, and inorganic residues including calcite, gypsum, and sodium nitrate were simultaneously identified, demonstrating the multianalyte capability of the approach. Using colloidal AgNPs, the estimated PET nanoplastic concentration was 17.25 ± 1.6 million particles per 0.5 L bottle (34.5 ± 3.2 million particles/L), comparative with values reported by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy in comparable studies. The method requires minimal sample preparation, limited to concentration by evaporation, without digestion or extraction steps, and preliminary results can be obtained within a few hours. These findings establish SERS combined with automated spectral analysis as a practical and sensitive screening tool for nanoplastic monitoring in drinking water, reporting particle concentrations directly in the number of particles per liter and with potential applicability to broader water quality analysis.
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Scientists developed a new detection method using enhanced Raman spectroscopy to identify nanoplastics in commercially bottled drinking water. They found PET nanoplastics averaging about 88 nanometers in size in the bottled water samples tested. This study provides concrete evidence that people are consuming nanoplastics through a common daily source, and offers a tool that could help monitor plastic contamination in beverages.
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Using a new high-speed imaging technique, researchers detected and identified nanoplastics in bottled water at the single-particle level, finding roughly 240,000 plastic particles per liter. This is far more than previously estimated and includes particles smaller than 100 nanometers made from common plastics, suggesting our exposure to nanoplastics from bottled water may be much higher than thought.
What's in your water? A comparative analysis of micro- and nanoplastics in treated drinking water and bottled water
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Researchers developed a novel method to detect both micro- and nanoplastics in drinking water using scanning electron microscopy and advanced infrared spectroscopy capable of identifying particles as small as 300 nanometers. The study found that bottled water had significantly higher concentrations of plastic particles than treated tap water, particularly for smaller micro- and nanoplastics, with polyamide, PET, and polyethylene being the most common polymers.
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Researchers detected nanoplastics in commercially bottled drinking water using novel nanoparticle analysis techniques, finding particles in the nanometer size range in multiple brands. These findings are concerning because nanoplastics are thought to be more biologically active than larger microplastics and can more easily cross biological barriers in the body.
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