Microplastics in Bottled Water: What to Know and Drink Instead

You buy a case of bottled water because it feels like the clean, safe choice. Then a headline says each bottle holds hundreds of thousands of plastic bits. It is fair to wonder what you have been drinking.

So, are there microplastics in bottled water? Yes. Nearly every study that has looked has found them, and newer tools that can see very small particles keep finding more. Most of the plastic seems to come from the bottle and cap. The good news: filtered tap water in a glass or steel bottle is usually the simpler and lower-plastic choice. Here is what the research shows and what to drink instead.

Microplastics in Bottled Water: How Many Are There?

The number depends on how small the particles are that a lab can see. Older studies could only spot larger bits, so they found far fewer.

In 2024, researchers at Columbia University used a laser imaging method that can spot single particles down to about 100 nanometers, which is far thinner than a human hair. Writing in PNAS, they reported about 240,000 plastic particles in an average liter from three brands. Roughly 90% were nanoplastics, the smallest size class. Earlier counts had missed these almost entirely.

A 2026 study from Ohio State University, published in Science of The Total Environment, compared six bottled water brands with treated tap water from four plants near Lake Erie. Bottled water had about three times as many nanoplastic particles. The most common plastics in the bottled water matched the packaging.

What to do: Do not fixate on a single number, since methods vary widely between labs. Focus on the pattern: more plastic packaging tends to mean more plastic in the water.

Is Tap Water Better Than Bottled Water for Microplastics?

In most studies, yes. Tap water is not plastic free either, but it usually has fewer particles than water stored in plastic.

A 2025 review from Concordia University in the Journal of Hazardous Materials pulled together the research on single-use bottles. It reported that people may take in roughly 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles a year, and that people who drink mostly bottled water may take in about 90,000 more each year than people who drink tap water.

The Ohio State lead author put it simply: for the average person, drinking straight from the tap is a better option than grabbing pre-bottled water. If your tap water tastes off or you have concerns about your pipes, a home filter solves both problems at once.

What to do: If you buy bottled water mainly out of habit, try filtered tap water for two weeks. Our guide to the best drinking water filtration setups for every budget compares pitcher, under-sink, and reverse osmosis options.

Does Heat Make Bottled Water Worse?

Heat and sunlight both appear to matter. A 2024 lab study in the journal Water exposed plastic (PET) bottles to different conditions. At normal room temperatures, release stayed about the same. But at 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit), where the bottles began to warp, release rose sharply. A few hours of simulated direct sunlight also increased the number of particles.

A closed car on a summer day can get hotter than many people expect, and the dashboard sits in full sun. That makes the case of water in your trunk, or the bottle rolling on the back seat, one of the worst ways to store it.

What to do: Store bottled water in a cool, dark place. If a plastic bottle has been baking in a car, pour it on the plants instead of drinking it.

Does Glass Bottled Water Have Microplastics?

This one surprises people. In 2025, France's food safety agency, ANSES, tested water, soft drinks, beer, and wine in glass, plastic, and cans. For most drinks, glass bottles had more microplastics than plastic bottles or cans, not fewer.

The cause was not the glass. The particles matched the paint on the outside of the metal bottle caps. The researchers believe the caps rub against each other in storage, chipping off tiny flakes that end up in the drink. When the team cleaned the caps before bottling for one brand, the particle count dropped by about 70%.

Water had the lowest levels of any drink in that study. So glass is still a fine container for water you fill yourself at home. It just is not a guarantee when you buy it with a painted cap.

What to do: Do not pay extra for glass-bottled water on the belief that it is plastic free. A glass carafe you fill from a filter is the more reliable choice.

Where to Buy Bottled Water Without Microplastics

The honest answer: no store-bought water has been shown to be completely free of microplastics. Every package type has some plastic touchpoint. Plastic bottles shed from the bottle and cap. Aluminum cans and paper cartons are usually lined with a thin plastic coating. Glass bottles may pick up particles from cap paint.

That said, some choices are better than others. Use this table when you shop or travel.

What to do: Buy one good reusable bottle in glass or stainless steel and keep it by the door, so the habit is easier than buying a case.

Does Boiling Water Remove Microplastics?

It can help with tap water, especially if your water is hard. In a 2024 study in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers boiled tap water for five minutes and then poured it through a simple coffee filter. In hard water, the minerals formed a crust that trapped particles, and up to about 90% were removed. In soft water, the drop was closer to 25%.

This works because of the minerals in tap water, so it is not a fix for bottled water. It is also more effort than most people will keep up every day.

What to do: If you already boil water for tea or cooking, let it cool and pour it through a paper filter. For drinking water, a good filter is the simpler habit.

Start Here: If You Only Do Three Things

1. Switch your daily water to filtered tap. This one change cuts the biggest bottled water exposure for most people.
2. Carry glass or stainless steel. Keep a reusable bottle in your bag or car instead of a case of plastic.
3. Keep plastic bottles cool. If you do buy bottled water, store it out of the sun, never drink from a bottle left in a hot car, and do not refill single-use bottles.

Bottled water is just one source. For the next swaps to make, see our guide to household plastics and what to replace first.

Where Sifts Fits

Cutting exposure at the source, like your daily water, is the step that matters most. Some people also add an optional gut-support routine. Sifts is formulated with chitosan and other dietary fibers intended to support normal digestive and elimination processes as part of regular gut function.*

Sifts works in the digestive tract. It is not a substitute for a good water filter, and it does not remove particles from your blood or organs. Sifts contains shellfish-derived ingredients and is not for people with shellfish allergies.

What the Science Still Cannot Tell Us

Labs still count particles in very different ways, so numbers from one study cannot be compared neatly with another. Researchers also do not yet know how many of these particles the body absorbs, or what long-term exposure does to health. The World Health Organization has called for better research on human health risks, and the FDA says current evidence does not show that microplastic levels in food pose a risk. Treat the research as a reason for easy swaps, not alarm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bottom Line

Bottled water does contain microplastics, and newer research suggests far more than once thought, most of it from the bottle and cap. You do not need to panic. Switch your everyday water to filtered tap, carry a glass or stainless steel bottle, and keep any plastic bottles you buy cool and out of the sun.

Ready to choose a filter? Read our guide to the best water filtration setups for every budget.

Sources: PNAS (Columbia University), single-particle imaging of nanoplastics in bottled water, 2024; Ohio State University, some bottled water worse than tap for microplastics, 2026; Journal of Hazardous Materials (Concordia University), health risks of micro and nanoplastics in single-use water bottles, 2025; Water, release of small microplastics from bottled drinks under heat and sunlight, 2024; Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (ANSES), microplastics in beverages by packaging type, 2025; Environmental Science & Technology Letters, boiling tap water reduces nanoplastic and microplastic intake, 2024; World Health Organization, microplastics in drinking-water, 2019; U.S. FDA, microplastics and nanoplastics in foods.