TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Government will further study the bottled waters sold in the market following the recent study which suggests that the product is contaminated with microplastic.
Health Minister Nila Djuwita F. Moeloek said that she has coordinated this issue with the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) as a follow-up to the study. “This is a milestone for us to thoroughly inspect bottled waters,” said Nila at the Presidential Palace yesterday, March 15.
The fact that drinking water had been contaminated with microplastics was revealed in a study conducted by the State University of New York and Orb Media Network in the United States. The result of the research was published simultaneously by 10 media throughout the globe and Tempo was fortunate to be one of them.
Read: Beware of Microplastics in Your Bottled Mineral Water
The research sampled 259 bottled water from 11 brands that are sold in nine countries, which include Indonesia. Surprisingly, test results show that 93 percent of tested bottled waters contained microplastic. The sample includes 30 bottles of water from a known brand that is still widely available in Indonesia.
Furthermore, the study showed that the average microplastic contained in the bottled water varied from 0 to 4,713 particles per liter. Most of the plastic elements ranged from 6.5-100 micrometer, which is equivalent to the size of a red blood cell.
In Indonesia, Tempo worked together with the University of Indonesia's (UI) chemistry lab to independently test three brands of bottled water that are widely available in Indonesia; one brand was the same brand with the one tested in the US.
The Industry Ministry summoned the Chairman of the Indonesian Association of Bottled Water Companies (Aspadin) regarding the result of the study.
According to the Health Ministry secretary-general Untung Suseno Sutarjo, microplastic particles exposes health risks for human. Despite the incomplete study, Untung presumes that if it is consumed regularly, the accumulation of microplastic can disrupt the function of human organs.
DANANG FIRMANTO | INDRI MAULIDAR | FRISKI RIANA
