Fox News Clickbait Bottled Water Story Distorts the Facts
Any time a news story on an alleged danger to the public contains the phrase "according to a new study," it's a good idea to check out the cited study yourself. Even a casual look will often reveal that the article has exaggerated or even contradicted the study's findings in the hope of getting more people to read it. Consider this recent report from Fox News titled "The hidden reason scientists say bottled water may not be the cleaner choice."
The story sensationalizes a review article about single-use plastic water bottles, claiming that bottled water exposes consumers to significantly more microplastics each year compared to tap water, and links this alleged exposure to chronic health issues. While the end of the article briefly quotes critics of the study, the headline, details, and overarching narrative lean into the fear-mongering.
But a closer examination reveals the story overlooks critical flaws in the underlying research review, including admissions of insufficient evidence, contradictory conclusions, and the failure to include authoritative statements from regulators like the FDA that undermine the story's alarmist conclusions.
No evidence of harm
First and most importantly, the review article provides no new evidence that bottled water poses any safety concerns. In fact, the review article’s author and her colleagues explicitly acknowledge the evidence in support of their preferred conclusion is limited, citing "critical gaps in the literature" and "emphasizing the urgent need for further research."
Deeper in the study, the authors are even more forthcoming:
"Despite the growing concern, there are limited studies specifically focused on single-use plastic water bottles and the different laboratory conditions under which they should be tested. Additionally, the number of samples tested in existing studies is often very limited, which hampers the ability to draw definitive conclusions [our emphasis]."
The responsible takeaway from these results is that there is still no strong evidence that regularly drinking bottled water poses any risk to your health. But that doesn't make for a compelling headline.
Contradictions
But even if Fox and other media had reported the study's conclusions straightforwardly, the research itself seems to undermine its own analysis of the limited evidence. While the review plainly concedes there is no evidence that bottled water is actually causing harm, it nonetheless warns about "chronic health issues linked to exposure" to microplastics generally and calls for expanded "regulatory action" to manage the impact of these materials.
But without robust evidence showing that people are being exposed to significant levels of microplastics through simply drinking bottled water—much less exposed to levels that could pose a health risk—it's irresponsible to imply that a product millions of people use every day is somehow linked to health risks.
FDA’s position
In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) position on bottled water safety directly contradicts any such implication. According to the agency's website, "The FDA protects consumers of bottled water" through extensive regulations that make "manufacturers responsible for producing safe, wholesome, and truthfully labeled food products." Speaking to Fox News last year, the FDA was unequivocal:
"[T]he FDA is not aware of scientific evidence that would support consumers being concerned about the potential level of microplastic or nanoplastic contamination in food, including bottled water."
Independent experts in the EU share this sentiment. An October 2025 53-page study from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an agency similar to our FDA, concludes that existing evidence is simply not good enough to draw any meaningful conclusions. "[T]here is no sufficient basis at this stage to estimate [particle] exposure from [food-contact materials] during their uses," the study reports.
All told, the Fox News story starts with a flawed review article and makes things worse with an alarmist framing that isn't supported by the evidence or by the experts at FDA.
Bottled water provides a convenient, affordable, and safe source of hydration for millions in the U.S. and around the world. People who watch and read Fox News deserve better than being served up scary clickbait headlines that simply don’t hold water.