Let us give an introduction based on “Water is Life” for this occasion. A recent study published by a team of researchers at Columbia University in New York, aimed at demonstrating the effectiveness of a new technique for researching nanoplastics, reports a large presence of the latter in bottled water. Concentrations 100 times higher than previously estimated, between 130,000 and 240,000 plastic particles per liter of bottled water. “Particles that come primarily from the erosion of plastic bottles in contact with water,” notes the study’s lead author, interviewed by CNN.
So, far from it, water is not the only life. Compared to the average annual consumption of bottled water in France which is 136 liters per inhabitant, there are 15 to 30 million mini-pieces of plastic that each French person drinks this way, or about half as much as a Spaniard. Natural Mineral Waters According to the European Union, as Italian, but 13 times more than Sweden. The French branch of the union of La Maison des Eaux Minerales Naturelles, for its part, through Marie Planck, believes that the New York study “should be taken with caution. This is an experimental technology and the bottles analyzed are sold in the American market.
France on the front line
But the news raises questions in France, the world’s leading exporter of mineral water, which, along with Danone and Nestlé, are two of the most powerful global players in the sector and which could spell revenge at the tap. “It’s hard to put one against the other,” says Nathalie DeVois of the Water Information Center (CIE). “The French are mainly mixed drinkers. Three-quarters of them say they consume both,” explains the media manager. And even more, 48% of French people surveyed say they drink bottled water every day and 66% tap water. Water, in particular, has been established by their 2023 barometer “The French and Water”, a study carried out every year for 27 years.
Longer, the share of French people who declare they consume bottled water daily fell between 2000 to 65% and peaked in 2010, before stabilizing. Driven by “environmental awareness linked to waste and plastic pollution” after the fall, clarifies Nathalie Devois. Naturally, now the concern about resource scarcity emerges in this study, in which 92% of French people are “convinced of the impact of climate change on water scarcity” and about its pollution: 22% of French people declare. “Tap water is not trusted,” the study notes.
“Tap water remains the most regulated food product. Regarding nitrates, 99.3% of stations were in permanent compliance with the threshold of 50 mg/L and in 2021, this threshold crossing affects 400,000 people. And thresholds are established for the most vulnerable groups, with a margin,” recalls Philippe Beaulieu, doctor of health for the CIE. “In terms of plastic particles, tap water is quite safe. But we live in an environment full of particles, albeit at a strictly medical level. , there is still no conclusive evidence on the effects of nanoplastics on health. However, this raises a whole set of questions about the effects of endocrine disruptors,” continues the doctor, who sees no problem in using tap water for infants and toddlers.
In Marseille, there was tap water in the river even 24 hours ago
Because the connection between bottled water and health, and especially for children, is strong. A projection on which the various brands of bottled water have played perfectly since the explosion in their marketing enabled by the development of the PET plastic bottle in 1973. Who, for example, today does not associate a brand like Evian (from the Danone group) with children?
However, France has water networks, often public, of very good quality. As in Marseille, and more widely in the Paca, where three-quarters of the resource comes from the Verdon and Durance rivers which have their source in the Alps. “These are places that are naturally protected from agricultural pollution or sewage discharge. Even 24 hours ago the water flowing from the tap was in the river, because the water doesn’t even have time to freeze,” explains Emmanuel Guéol, Marseille Water Company’s quality and distribution manager. “In fact, we have no or very little nitrates or pesticide residues and the water is disinfected with ozone, which gives no taste,” he adds, adding, “Big campaign ads may have contributed to instilling distrust in tap water.”
“Would you take your water from plastic or pesticides? »
The fact is that this can sometimes be appropriate. Especially in the most agricultural and industrialized regions, such as Hauts-de-France, where the concentration of pesticide residues in water is the highest. An investigation carried out by the television program “Complement d’Investigation” broadcast in September 2022 found that, “according to the Directorate General of Health’s own estimates and if the rules had been respected, about 10 million French people would have been deprived of tap water. .
UFC-Que Choisir estimates that while some consumers may be tempted to switch to domestic water purification devices using charcoal or other filter jugs, this is what 20% of French homes are equipped with. “They are useless,” says Dr. Philippe Beaulieu. “Charcoal filters can remove the good stuff like calcium and magnesium, which is a shame, and the filter jug quickly becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. »
We have now reached an impasse of sorts. “Would you take your water from plastic or pesticides? », might ask the evil-spirited waiter while waiting for the possible return of the glass deposit. This could return to France within two years, Berengere Couillard, Secretary of State for Ecology, announced in mid-June. The end of single-use plastic packaging has yet to be announced for 2040.
