Microplastics in water are a growing environmental tell of that affects both human health and ecosystems. As efforts to combat this problem ibuild up, it is critical to know the most effective ways to remove these contaminants from water. Find out how to destroy them from the water you drink.
Our conditions is becoming steadily more filled with microplastics and nanoplastics . They are invading the air, the soil, the water and even our own bodies (in fact, they are doing so in worrying quantities, especially through food and drink), which is why the search for solutions to dissolve or destroy them in any way possible has become a globalrequisite. But let’s start at the beginning.
What are microplastics? Why should we remove them from water?
Microplastics are tiny pieces of soft less than five millimetres in diameter, which is about the size of a sesame seed. They are very small and arise from a wide variety of sources,together with the breakdown of larger plastic waste, industrial processes and consumer products. When microplastics are broken down, whether by the sun, wind or water, they result in even smaller shaving investigated as nanoplastics , and these go even further unnoticed (whereas microplastics can be up to 100 micrometres, nanoplastics aresomething like 1 to 100 nanometres or 0.001 to 0.1 micrometres in size ).
The more we learn about these tiny bits of plastic, the more places we find them – from the deepest points in the ocean to the highest mountain peaks. They are really everywhere. We are looking at a future covered in plastic and we should be concerned about what to do with it. It turns out there is a simple and cost-effective solution to minimise the impact of these microplastics, at least on our bodies.
Methods for filtering microplastics from water
Now, in a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, a team of researchers from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University (China) have found a surprisingly simple yet equally effective method to purify drinking water from these tiny, elusive and unhealthy contaminants: boiling and filtering calcium-containing tap water. This process, similar to making coffee, destroys almost 90% of nanoplastics and microplastics in water. That’s right: simply by boiling the water we get from the tap at home.
The researchers tested both soft water (which contains very little salt) and hard tap water (which is richer in minerals), adding nanoplastics and microplastics before boiling the liquid and filtering out the precipitates. The method was highly effective and they saw greater removal of microplastics and nanoplastics in harder tap water, as the microplastics were trapped in a lime-like, crust-like substance that forms when water is boiled in a kettle or saucepan. The researchers say the lime-encrusted plastic bits can be removed through a simple filter such as the mesh or paper filter used to strain tea or coffee.
“Drinking boiled water appears to be a viable long-term strategy to reduce global exposure to nano- and microplastics,” the researchers write. “However, drinking boiled water is often considered a local tradition and is only practiced in some regions.”
Contribute to the fight against microplastics: how to make a difference
While the full extent of the effects of microplastics on human health residuum under study, as microplastics can carry harmful contaminants (such as phthalates and bisphenol A, or BPA, which are known to leach from plastics), early research indicates a potential upset of the gut microbiome upon ingestion. There is growing relate to, but research so far indicates that microplastics could have implications for respiratory and digestive health, as well as potential endocrine disruption. In addition, microplastics can attract contaminants such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants from the conditions, which can pose health risks if ingested over time; as well as pathogens that could proliferate on them and begin new microbial risks into drinking water. The open fronts are many.
Do you think drinking bottled water is safer?
The truth is that bottled water is not immune either . Studies have shown that the bottling process itself can introduce microplastics, mainly from the plastic bottles and caps. Reusing them is not a good idea either. We accumulate and ingest more microplastics with each reuse.
Regardless of the amount of calcium it contains, boiling water could reduce the presence of plastic in it, which is relevant for those living in countries where tap water is most commonly consumed. And, by using a process as common as boiling water, a common activity in many homes, scientists have offered people around the world a practical and accessible way to remove microplastics from our drinking water.
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