To be loosing my mind over DC using bottled microplastic-y water for years

[ByeByeBabyBabyTooth]

Would really appreciate some perspective as I’m struggling massively. DH is anti-tap water - regular boil notices in our area - so our house has been drinking solely from 5 gallon drums + a water cooler for years. A friend mentioned microplastics in bottled water to me yesterday - I hadn’t made any link with our water until then - and now I’ve fallen down a horrible google rabbithole. According to one university study, my small kids have injested up to a trillion particles over this time, most of which will never leave their blood. I know that there is no conclusive evidence around plastics and cancer / health risks but it looks like just a matter of time.

Have moved to tap water and generally low plastic anyway but really feeling like we’ve massively fucked up here and set the kids up for lots of health issues etc. and that it’s totally unrecoverable. And yes I know there are microplastics everywhere but bottled water seems to be far and away the worst offender and they’ve been drinking litres every day for years.

I’ve removed voting for this as think that lots of votes confirming that this is a problem will trip me over the edge totally. Would just really appreciate some support and a handhold I guess as I just feel so so awful! Thanks very much

Also, thanks all for the helpful comments - just to be clear, will definitely be moving to filtered from now on. My worry / guilt is about how much potential damage we’ve done to the kids which can’t be reversed.

Image if you had been drinking tap water and one of your little ones caught D&V and ended up dehydrated needing to go on a drip in hospital. You can’t second guess youself with this.

If your water supply isn’t good enough,clean bottled water is still the better choice.

Hopefully, you now know that your fears are seriously overblown and you can take steps to address your anxiety, which if left untreated will have negative effects on you kids.

@OhBeAFineGuyKissMe thanks for the reply, in my head I’d prefer the D&V scenario by far as at least it wouldn’t be a long-term, serious implication.

While I don’t feel that my fears are overblown, I know that addressing this / my anxiety is needed now as it’s been a week and I can’t stop thinking about it, I’m not sleeping and haven’t left the house most days. Will speak with my GP to find a way to cope.

I'm glad you're seeing the GP. I had an intense period of anxiety after my youngest was born and for a while I was fixated on his health. I remember the constant thoughts going round and round, circling the drain. It was horrendous. I wish you the best in getting a handle on it.

Thanks @thicklysettled and glad to hear that things have improved for you! Yes, looking forward to the GP chat as I would have thought this was a very valid, rational worry but my reaction isn’t typical by the sound of things

My mums been paranoid all my life that her tap water want safe to consume, I grew up on bottled water. I'm nearly 40 now

My mums nearly 80. She literally has drank bottled water from plastic bottles for decades. Apart from her anxiety, she's absolutely fine.

@Cantthinkofacoolname thanks for that, it’s good to get a real life perspective. Your poor mum though, send her a big hug from me - anxiety is so awful.

You could try switching to lots of organic green vegetables. Apparently these help the body get rid of waste products.

Try not to feel too bad. After having no sleep for a year and two small children I went through a period of extreme anxiety over something similar and can relate. Once I started sleeping and exercising I got over it...also don't look at Google..it feeds anxiety no end!

I hope you feel better soon x

@ByeByeBabyBabyTooth it really is. I, unfortunately, picked up on her anxiety and suffer from it now. When I focus on a worry its way too easy to blow it out of proportion. When I am anxious, I have been convinced I am absolutely valid in my concern and not one else agrees with my worries. I have just had to accept the way I think is naturally anxious and far fetched and that my thoughts are just fears and not reality. I hope you are able to manage your anxiety, it really is horrible at times.

Glass bottles?
Boil and filter tap water?

You can't fight the tide so don't worry about it too much.

@Cantthinkofacoolname am the exact same!! I am convinced the bottled water drinking could kill them now, that it’s my fault and no one else agrees with my worries.

Did my first ever acupuncture session today while waiting for the GP. Going to try and hit this on all sides!

I had not seen these studies. Does anyone know what the risks are from reusable plastic sports bottles, filled with tap water? I assume they are likely to have a fair amount of microplastics?

Not read whole thread (so apologies if already mentioned) but a plasma donation will remove 30-40% of PFAS and can be done every four weeks.

@ByeByeBabyBabyTooth honestly, I don't think it's an issue. I get health anxiety over everything and I'm not worried about my bottled water.

Some families have microwave meals nearly every day, have pot noodles, plastic exposure is everywhere. How many kids drink cordial or fizzy drinks or cartons daily?

It absolutely won't kill them, or even harm them.

Take a look at the bottled water you are drinking and its lack of fluoride, which affects tooth enamel development. Tap water contains fluoride.

As a sideline, every cloud etc. The more we are all aware of microplastics in bottled water the more people will hopefully stop buying it.

Just wanted to mention an alternative is a filtered and boiling water tap. We got one and it's great, wouldn't ever not have one again. We just drink the filtered water cold straight from the tap, but if you needed to boil it you could just immediately get the boiled water straight from the tap and then let it cool.

We use glass everything - baby bottles, glass food storage, glass bottles to chill filtered water in the fridge etc to put on the table for dinner

Milllions of people drink what we would call horribly polluted, disease-ridden water from holes in the ground and somehow manage to dodge serious problems op.

Tap water in the UK is safe. Even our European neighbors are in awe that we use the same water to flush the loo with...

There are a thousand things way more dangerous (and likely to affect our dc) than tap water or micro plastics, they are unavoidable really - look back a hundred years when water came from wells or pead pipes, and milk direct from the cow or in glass bottles, and you'll see that the risks are different.

I also live abroad where literally everyone drinks bottle water from plastic bottles and rates of serious diseases are no higher than anywhere else. Don't worry about it so much.