Relevance: GS III (Environment) & GS II (Health) | Source: The Hindu / Down To Earth

1. The Big News: Is Bottled Water Really Safe?

Many of us buy bottled water thinking it is 100% pure. However, recent scientific studies in cities like Mumbai and Nagpur show a worrying reality.

• The Finding: Almost every tested brand of bottled water was found to contain invisible, tiny plastic pieces.
• The Danger: Drinking this daily means swallowing tiny plastics and harmful chemicals, which can cause serious long-term health issues.

2. The Science (Important for Prelims)

To understand this threat, you just need to know two simple scientific concepts:

• Microplastics: These are extremely small pieces of plastic. The strict UPSC rule to remember is that they are smaller than 5 millimetres. Researchers found hundreds of these microscopic pieces in just a single litre of bottled water.
• Chemical Leaching: When water bottles are kept outside small shops under direct sunlight or transported in hot trucks, the high heat slightly melts the plastic. This causes toxic chemicals from the bottle to “leak” or “leach” directly into the drinking water.

3. What are the Main Problems?

• Lack of Trust: People are forced to depend heavily on private bottled water because they do not trust the local municipal tap water.
• The Missing Rule: The FSSAI is our national government body that checks food and water safety. Surprisingly, their current official rules do not demand mandatory testing for microplastics or heat-related chemical leaks in bottled water.
• The Waste Crisis: This heavy dependence creates millions of empty plastic bottles every single day. These thrown-away bottles break down into more microplastics, polluting our farming soil and rivers.

4. Why is this Important for India’s Goals?

This issue is a perfect example of how environmental destruction directly harms human health. Fixing this problem is essential to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation for all citizens.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption (which means reducing our daily single-use plastic waste).

UPSC Value Box

With reference to the environmental and health impacts of packaged drinking water, consider the following statements:

1. Microplastics are officially defined as any plastic fragments that are smaller than 5 millimetres in length.
2. Exposing plastic water bottles to direct sunlight and high temperatures can accelerate the leaching of harmful chemicals into the water.
3. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) currently mandates strict routine testing for microplastic contamination in all packaged drinking water.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (a)