Microplastics, PFAS chemicals threaten planet-wide tap water safety, warns water innovator Bluewater

Swedish water purification and beverage innovator Bluewater marks Earth Day 2024 by hammering out a message warning that the health of the planet and all living on it face an existential threat from the plastic tsunami now sweeping across oceans, rivers, lakes, forests, fields, and mountains.

“According to the United Nations, no space or living creature anywhere on Planet Earth is being spared from the micro- and nano-plastic particles following in the trail of the 600 billion plastic bottles produced every year – and the toxic chemicals such as PFAS found in them and our tap water,” says Swedish environmental entrepreneur Bengt Rittri, founder and CEO of Bluewater.

Rittri said that new data has also revealed that plastic water bottles made from recycled plastic may be contaminated by toxic PFAS chemicals, potentially leaching both into the drinks and the external environment.

“The lack of research about the extent of PFAS-related health risks is hugely disturbing due to the growing evidence linking forever-chemicals to cancer and other diseases such as decreased immunity, falling sperm counts, and congenital disabilities,” said Rittri. He added that “with microplastic particles – and the chemicals in them – now ubiquitous in human blood, heart tissue, the liver, kidneys, and brains of mice, and placentas, the potential consequences for human health are simply terrifying.”

PFAS compounds such as PFOS and PFOA, part of the Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances family, are found everywhere around the planet today, in soil and surface water due to their use in products ranging from food packaging to clothes, cosmetics, and fire-fighting foam.

PFAS chemicals are also prevalent in drinking water from taps worldwide.

In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency has published data indicating that 70 million Americans have drinking water that has tested positive for toxic chemicals. At the same time, investigations by Bluewater in Sweden and the United Kingdom have revealed worryingly high levels of PFAS in tap water in their capital cities of Stockholm and London.

“It’s now clear we are in a plastic versus planet scenario, so I’m pleading for world governments to work together to urgently reduce all plastic production and phase out single-use plastic bottles,” Mr. Rittri said.

Stockholm-based Bluewater was founded in 2013 by Mr. Rittri. Embedding sustainability at the heart of the company’s business mission, Rittri has ensured Bluewater remains focused on innovating state-of-the-art water purification technology that removes up to 99.97 percent of all known water contaminants such as PFAS, lead, and microplastics, as well as launching beverage dispensing and sustainable bottle solutions that end the need for single-use plastic bottles at home, work, and play.

The latest addition to the Bluewater product portfolio is the Bluewater Kitchen Station 1™, which removes up to 99.97 percent of toxic chemicals and other contaminants. Designed to allay consumer fears about tap water quality, the compact Bluewater Kitchen Station purifies drinking water while adding a unique blend of liquified minerals harvested from age-old northern Swedish mountains for enhanced health.

“At Bluewater, we very much believe in the art of the possible, which is why we are investing in clean tech and approaches that deliver great-tasting water from taps everywhere that people can trust and will leave a planet fit for future generations to enjoy and thrive on,” said Mr. Rittri.