Microplastics put Zimbabwe’s Bottled Water Under Scrutiny

By Tendai Makaripe

After nearly losing his life during the 2011 cholera outbreak, clean safe water activist, Irvine Kudzai Chizhande, vowed never to drink untreated water again.

He turned to bottled water — a choice now shared by millions of Zimbabweans who associate it with safety amid cholera, typhoid, and drought.

But that sense of security may be under serious threat.

A hidden danger lurks inside even the clearest bottles: microplastics—tiny fragments of plastic less than five millimetres long—are increasingly found in bottled water around the world.

Zimbabwe, with its growing reliance on bottled water and limited monitoring frameworks, may not be spared.

Microplastics enter water from degrading plastic waste or shed from bottles, caps, and packaging.

In 2018, a landmark study by Orb Media, a media organisation focused on global development and sustainability issues, found 93% of bottled water brands globally contained microplastics, with an average of 325 particles per litre.

More alarmingly, a 2024 Columbia University study using laser imaging revealed an average of 240,000 plastic particles per litre in bottled water—most of them nanoplastics, so small they can pass into human cells.

 “This opens a window to a plastic world that was not visible to us before,” said Dr. Beizhan Yan, one of the study’s authors.

The plastics identified included polyethene terephthalate (PET) from bottles and polypropylene from caps.

These findings suggest a 10–100 times higher exposure than previously thought. Zimbabweans consuming a standard 500ml bottle of water may unknowingly ingest hundreds of particles with every drink.

Dr. Sherri Mason, a pioneer in microplastics research, has explained how even unscrewing a plastic cap or dropping a bottle can release fragments.

“People don’t think of plastics as shedding, but they do,” she recently told CNN. Prolonged exposure to heat, like bottles left in the sun, accelerates the breakdown.

Across Africa, microplastics have been detected in rivers, soil, air, and food chains. A 2024 Nigerian study found 22,000 microplastic particles per litre in the Osun River—the highest level recorded globally for a river.

In Zimbabwe, there are no published national studies confirming microplastic levels in bottled or tap water.

But conditions for contamination are ripe.

A 2014 government report estimated that Zimbabwe produces 1.65 million tonnes of solid waste annually, with over 300,000 tonnes being plastic.

Poor disposal practices mean plastics end up in open dumps, waterways, and are often burnt, releasing microscopic fragments into the environment.

Harare’s tap water, often discoloured or erratic, has pushed many residents toward bottled alternatives.

A 2020 report by Nanotech Water Solutions warned that Harare’s reservoirs contained harmful algal blooms, placing up to three million people at risk if they consumed municipal water untreated.

With cholera and typhoid outbreaks etched in memory, thousands of households have “switched off” taps in favour of store-bought water.

Yet this bottled water lifeline may be tainted.

In Zimbabwe, bottled water is not currently tested for microplastics.

Most quality checks focus on bacterial or chemical contamination.

In 2018, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) found harmful bacteria in some bottled brands, triggering recalls—but microplastics were not yet part of the conversation.

That silence is breaking.

Speaking in response to media inquiries, Amkela Sidange, Environmental Education and Publicity Manager at EMA, confirmed that the agency recognises microplastics as an emerging pollutant posing “serious environmental and public health risks.”

“EMA has already started testing microplastics in wastewater and ambient water as per its mandate,” said Sidange.

“However, the testing of bottled water is part of the Ministry of Health and Child Care programming. Once analysis is complete, the agency will publish results to inform policy and decision-making.”

EMA has also begun collaborative microplastics research with UNEP, the Government Analyst Laboratory, and universities including the University of Zimbabwe and Harare Institute of Technology.

Sampling has already been conducted in the Manyame Catchment, with further analysis ongoing in other regions.

Sidange added that the ban on plastics thinner than 30 microns under Statutory Instrument 98 of 2010, along with awareness campaigns, aims to reduce microplastic sources.

However, she acknowledged that more robust frameworks are needed.

The question remains: What happens when we ingest these particles?

Scientific studies have found microplastics in human blood, lungs, placentas, and even breast milk.

Research reviewed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 concluded that most ingested particles are excreted.

However, nanoplastics—smaller than 1 micron—may cross into organs like the liver, kidney, or brain.

Beyond physical intrusion, microplastics are dangerous for what they carry: chemicals like BPA and phthalates (known hormone disruptors) and heavy metals or pathogens that stick to plastic surfaces.

While animal studies show inflammation, immune disruption, and gut damage, human health effects remain under investigation.

Dr. Phoebe Stapleton, a toxicologist involved in the 2024 bottled water study, remarked:

“We don’t know if it’s dangerous or how dangerous.”

Still, concern is growing.

Tapiwa Muronda, a Harare physician, said several patients now question the safety of bottled water.

“My honest answer is: I don’t know if microplastics are harming you right now—but we know they’re not good for you.”

Pregnant women, in particular, are anxious.

“You think you’re drinking clean water for your baby’s health, but I have read and watched documentaries noting that there is plastic in it,” said Alice Gatau, an expecting mother from Bulawayo.

Several water bottling companies did not respond to questions sent to them during the period of this investigation, which stretched over a month.

They promised to get back to this reporter with responses, but never did.

The writer also sought comment from Zimbabwe National Water Authority through communications and marketing manager Marjorie Manyange, who confirmed receipt and said she would revert.

Follow-up requests did not get responses. B

ack in Harare’s Warren Park suburb, Irvine Chizhande—who once championed bottled water—is now leading community workshops on microplastic risks.

After learning about the issue, he launched a small water purification business that uses UV light and six-stage filters, which he claims remove over 99% of contaminants, including microplastics.

At one workshop, Chizhande presented two identical-looking glasses of water—one from a borehole, one bottled.

Lab analysis showed fibrous particles in both.

“The danger,” he told residents, “Is not in what you see. It’s what you don’t.”

Grassroots innovators like Chizhande are helping fill policy gaps.

“Families spend more treating waterborne diseases than they would on decent filtration,” he said.

But community action alone is not enough.

Legal expert Fungai Chiwashira argues that Zimbabwe’s Constitution guarantees access to safe water, but no law requires bottled water to be tested for microplastics.

“Our laws don’t yet address microplastics or mandate safety testing for bottled water,” he said.

“That’s a serious blind spot.”

Solving the microplastics issue requires tackling both waste management and public health.

While Zimbabwe banned ultra-thin plastics, enforcement remains lax.

Illegal packaging continues to circulate, feeding the pollution cycle.

EMA is working on policy enhancements, including stricter recycling rules and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which would compel manufacturers to manage plastic waste from production to disposal.

Environmental activist Benedict Fusire warns: “It’s all connected. The plastic we fail to manage today becomes the problem in our water tomorrow.”

As Zimbabwe strives to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6—clean water and sanitation for all—microplastics can no longer be ignored.

The science is evolving, but the risk is real.

Public awareness, government oversight, and innovation must come together to address this invisible crisis.

The real danger is not in the dirty stream. It’s in the clean-looking bottle, too.

Clean water must start at the source—and Zimbabwe’s environment and health depend on it.