Plastic in Bottled Water Review Questions

What did researchers from Columbia University and Rutgers University find in a typical liter of bottled water?

• Roughly 240,000 detectable plastic fragments

• Roughly 500,000 detectable plastic fragments

• Roughly 50,000 detectable plastic fragments

• Roughly 100,000 detectable plastic fragments

What percentage of the detected plastic particles in bottled water were microplastics?

• 15%

• 20%

• 5%

• 10%

What technology did the researchers use to detect the plastic particles in bottled water?

• Fluorescence microscopy

• Electron microscopy

• Atomic force microscopy

• Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy

What are nanoplastics?

• Particles larger than 5 micrometers in size

• Particles less than 1 micrometer in size

• Particles between 1 to 5 micrometers in size

• Particles between 5 millimeters to 1 micrometer in size

What did a 2018 study find in a liter of bottled water?

• An average of 200 pieces of microplastics

• An average of 400 pieces of microplastics

• An average of 100 pieces of microplastics

• An average of 300 pieces of microplastics

What did the International Bottled Water Association say about the potential health impacts of nano- and microplastic particles?

• The health impacts are minimal

• The health impacts are severe

• There is no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts

• There is scientific consensus on the potential health impacts

What did the researchers hypothesize about the plastics in the bottled water?

• They are from other types of plastics

• They are from natural minerals

• They are from the packaging

• They are from water filters

What did Phoebe Stapleton, a study co-author, say about the significance of their research?

• It provides a computer generated image

• It brings to light the presence of nanoplastics

• It provides a visual of nanoplastics

• It allows for the quantification of plastic particles

What do the researchers hope their research will lead to?

• A better understanding of plastic production

• A better understanding of plastic effects on human health

• A better understanding of plastic recycling

• A better understanding of plastic pollution

What is the annual plastic production by humans according to the United Nations?

• 220 million tons

• 330 million tons

• 440 million tons

• 550 million tons