The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that it is launching a review of the potential risks of plastic particles in drinking water. The announcement comes after a study found that over 90 percent of the world's most popular bottled water brands contain microplastic. The analysis was conducted by the State University of New York in Fredonia as part of a project from Orb Media. 259 bottles were bought in China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya, Thailand and the United States.

Out of all the bottles tested, only 17 were found to be plastic-free while on average, each liter sold contained 325 pieces of microplastic. These included polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate. In one case, a bottle of Nestlé Pure Life contained over 10,000 pieces of microplastic while high levels were also present in bottles from Bisleri, Gerolsteiner and Aqua. WHO officials have said that while there is no evidence that ingestion of these microplastic fibres can cause health problems, it does remain an emerging area of concern.