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Impact of Ultra Violet Radiation on Polyethylene Packaged Water Exposed at Varying Conditions: Are we Drinking Micro-Plastics?
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This study investigated how UV radiation affects the release of microplastics from polyethylene-packaged sachet water in Nigeria, finding that UV exposure accelerates plastic degradation and increases particle release into the water. The findings raise public health concerns about microplastic ingestion from a widely used water packaging format in Africa.
The public is worried about how their health is impacted by microplastics in sachet water. This awareness has repercussion for water producing factories and public health organization in managing health hazard associated with microplastic ingestion. Many countries in Africa, with concern to Nigeria, the act of packaging water in polyethylene materials by water producing factories has become accustomed. These packaged products are popularly called pure water or sachets water. The packaged materials are made of antioxidants, stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricants, antimicrobials, anti-static and anti-blocking agents. Heat hindrance agents are usually incorporated to improve functionality of polyethylene. It was conceived that the polyethylene material if exposed to sun light radiation over a period of time, its components may leach into the potable water due to photolytic, photo-oxidative and thermo-oxidative reactions caused by fragmentation of the polyethylene material. This research was designed to evaluate the water quality/safety of polyethylene sachet-packaged exposed to direct sunlight at different days. Eighteen polyethylene packaged water were sampled from three different factories - Lion water, Galaxy and Ashor water in Nsukka area of Enugu State. They were exposed to sunlight at 31 to 33°C for (24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h), respectively. Agilent gas chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy was used to analyze the exposed and unexposed (control) packaged water. Organic compounds such as low molecular weight substituted hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, trichloromethane, benzene, limonene, xylene, toluene and 2-hexanone were detected in all the exposed samples. These micoplastics which leached into water has been listed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry as potential human carcinogens. The concern now is whether we are drinking micoplastics. The only way out of this perceived health risk is to change the packaging material to prevent ingestion of microplastics in water.
More Papers Like This
Assessment of Impact of Sunlight Exposure On Occurrence of Micro Plastic in Selected Packaged Water Sold in Ilorin Metropolis
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Microplastic concentrations in packaged drinking water in Ilorin, Nigeria ranged from 5 to 18 particles per liter, with sachet water showing higher contamination and Microplastic Pollution Index values reaching very high risk (100%) compared to mostly low-risk bottled water. Sunlight exposure accelerated plastic degradation in sachet packaging, indicating that single-use flexible packaging poses a greater contamination risk than rigid bottles.
Impact of exposure to sunlight before consumption of packaged potable water (Sachet Water) in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Southeastern Nigeria
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Researchers investigated the impact of sunlight exposure on sachet water in Calabar, Nigeria, finding that the common practice of exposing polyethylene-packaged potable water to sunlight before sale promotes leaching of heavy metals and chemical components from the plastic packaging into the drinking water.
A Comparative Study About the Amount of Microplastic in Polyethylene Terephtalate (pet) Drinking Water That Was Exposed and Not Exposed by Sun at Environmental Health Laboratory of Poltekkes Kemenkes Semarang at the Year 2020
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Researchers compared the amount of microplastics released from different brands and conditions of PET water bottles, finding that UV exposure and bottle age affect how many particles leach into the water. This study highlights bottled water as a direct route of microplastic ingestion for consumers.
Assessment of Storage-Induced Microplastic Generation, Polymer Characteristics, and Human Exposure Risks in Bottled and Sachet Drinking Water Under Different Environmental Conditions in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
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Leaving bottled or sachet water in hot conditions—like a car trunk or direct sunlight—causes tiny plastic particles to leach into the water, and the longer and hotter the storage, the more particles accumulate. Water sold in thin plastic sachets (common in Nigeria) was even more prone to this than bottled water. The takeaway: store your drinking water somewhere cool and shaded, and try not to let it sit around for months, since heat and time are what really drive plastic contamination.
Photodegradation-driven microparticle release from commercial plastic water bottles
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Researchers exposed seventy PET plastic water bottles to sunlight for ten weeks and measured the microparticles released into the water as the plastic degraded. They found that microparticle concentrations built up to 14-20 micrograms per liter within the first 30 days before plateauing, and that thinner-walled bottles with higher crystallinity released fewer particles. The study demonstrates that sunlight-driven degradation of plastic bottles is a meaningful source of microplastics in bottled drinking water.
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