Are There Microplastics In Your Drinking Water?

Learn More About Our Big Plastic Problem, Who Is Responsible For It & How To Protect Your Tap.

Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash

Earth day’s theme this year is about plastics and for good reason. The campaign is demanding a 60 percent reduction in the production of plastics by 2040 and an ultimate goal of building a plastic-free future for generations to come. 

“Plastic pollution is one of the most serious environmental crises facing the world today,” according to an explosive February report from the Center for Climate Integrity. “Between 1950 and 2015, more than 90 percent of plastics were landfilled, incinerated, or leaked into the environment.”

That’s a devastating statistic. You can read the full 68-page report here.

One study estimates that humans ingest up to 5 grams worth of plastic per week. That’s the equivalent of one credit card. Gross!

What’s worse, the report states, is that some of the largest oil and gas companies are among the 20 petrochemical companies responsible for more than half of all single-use plastics generated globally.

ExxonMobil, for example, is the world’s top producer of single-use plastic polymers, according to the report.

The report describes a decades-long campaign of fraud and deception about the recyclability of plastics.

As I’ve said before, these companies knew it. They’ve always known. They knew that recycling plastics is not technically or economically viable, and yet they engaged in fraudulent marketing and public education campaigns designed to mislead the public about the viability of plastic recycling as a solution to plastic waste.

Plastics have been notoriously difficult to recycle, and the industry knew that for years.

“The Fraud of Plastic Recycling: How Big Oil and the plastics industry deceived the public for decades and caused the plastic waste crisis,” lays out evidence that could provide the foundation for legal efforts to hold fossil fuel and other petrochemical companies accountable for their lies and deception.

Two years ago, California Attorney General Rob Bonta publicly launched an investigation “into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for their role in causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis.” Bonta’s office announced that it subpoenaed oil giant ExxonMobil, the world’s biggest producer of single-use plastic polymers.

The report also discusses how Lloyd Stouffer, editor of the trade journal Modern Plastics, congratulated the industry on “filling the trash cans, the rubbish dumps, and the incinerators” with single-use plastics.

“The happy day has arrived,” Stouffer opined, “when nobody any longer considers the plastics package too good to throw away.” That was in 1963!

All this is to say that we now have a HUGE plastics problem, and one of the biggest issues is the tiniest of plastics. Larger plastic items breakdown in the environment, polluting our streams, drinking water, and more, and then make their way into our bodies.

The industry’s success in “selling” disposability and introducing single-use plastics had predictable consequences that have now come to fruition.

Microplastics are an issue that impact both public water systems and private wells. Microplastic contamination has reached groundwater and surface water sources—like aquifers, rivers, and lakes—and has made its way into wells and utilities. 

Water treatment facilities use a variety of treatment technologies, and conventional treatment does remove microplastics to some degree. Removal efficiencies vary substantially, however, and it’s generally understood that conventional drinking water treatment is not very effective at removing smaller microplastics.

Microplastics FAQs

To understand more about small plastic waste, here are some FAQs thanks to our friends at Tap Score.

What are microplastics? 

Microplastics are very small plastic particles, which are technically defined as plastics bigger than 1 micron (1 μm) and less than five millimeters (5 mm) in diameter.

Five millimeters is about the width of a pencil eraser—so we’re talking about everything from particles that are invisible to your eye (very small) to small, but visible in size.

Primary microplastics are intentionally manufactured microplastics, used in commercial products, such as in cosmetics, while secondary microplastics originate from the degradation of larger plastic items that break down in the environment.

Microplastics and nanoplastics do not completely biodegrade and therefore remain in the environment and other reservoirs indefinitely.

What’s the difference between micro & nano plastics?

The difference is in their size category.

“Micro” refers to plastics in the size range between 1 μm and 5 mm, and “nano” refers to plastics less than 1 μm in size. This size difference affects their interaction with the environment and potential toxicity​​.

Nanoplastics in the environment likely derive from microplastics that have broken down into the even smaller “nano” size category.

Are PFAS microplastics?

No, PFAS–per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances–are not microplastics. Both PFAS and microplastics are human-produced chemicals of environmental concern. However, PFAS is a class of thousands that can be defined loosely by their structures, which have multiple fluorine atoms bonded to an alkyl chain. They are largely used in non-stick or water resistant products like pans, jackets, and food packaging.

Microplastics are also a complex class of chemicals, but their chemical composition is distinct. Plastics are technically polymers, and they have many applications due to their ability to be shaped when soft and then retain a shape when hardened.

They range in composition (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate), shape, and size and can be found in commercial products like microbeads in personal care products.

Where do microplastics come from?

Microplastics originate from a variety of sources, and they have been detected extensively in sea water, surface waters, and finished drinking water around the world. Microplastics can be created specifically for use in personal care products, like microbeads. They are also created indirectly as larger plastics break down through physical, chemical, and biological processes​​. For this reason, microplastics are widespread in the environment.

Are there microplastics in my drinking water?

Possibly! Microplastics have been identified in drinking water sources, such as rivers, streams, and groundwater, as well as in drinking water from water systems and bottled water.

How do microplastics enter drinking water?

Microplastics are most likely to enter drinking water sources through contamination from wastewater discharge and run off from urban areas. Other sources include the direct breakdown of plastic materials in the environment, combined sewer overflows, atmospheric deposition, and industrial effluent.

Do microplastics affect health?

Potential health impacts from microplastics may be due to the physical hazards of ingestion, their ability to absorb and release toxic chemicals, and the possibility of the particles themselves serving as a substrate for the formation of biofilms in distribution systems (which could include harmful pathogens).

More research is needed regarding the human health impacts of microplastics. At the moment, the EPA, WHO, and CDC have stated that there is insufficient evidence about microplastics as a health concern.

Research is ongoing and key areas for discovery include the impact of microplastics exposures depending on their size and material.

Can you test for microplastics?

Yes, you can test for microplastics, but tests must be conducted by a certified laboratory. There are no at-home testing options (like strips) that can even identify the presence of microplastics in a sample of water.

PS: Methods to accurately identify nanoplastics (< 1 μm in size) are not yet available to the public. Both the methods and instruments required for nanoplastics detection are highly specialized and largely under development in academic labs.

How can you remove microplastics from your drinking water?

Microplastics can be removed at the household scale by membrane processes. Reverse osmosis should effectively remove all or nearly all microplastics, while micro-, ultra- and nanofiltration will remove the majority of microplastics. Specifically, microfiltration rejects particles >1 µm, ultrafiltration rejects particles >0.01 µm, and nanofiltration >0.001 µm.

Some activated carbon filters can remove microplastics. But to be certain, make sure you consider filters that are certified to reduce microplastics. 

The Brita Elite Filter is certified under NSF/ANSI 401 to reduce microplastics. However, the Standard Brita pitcher filter is not certified for microplastics reduction.

Berkey filters have a proprietary filter media (Black Berkey Elements), so it’s unclear whether they can filter out microplastics. For more info, see this post.

Does boiling water remove microplastics?

Boiling water does not reliably remove microplastics. Boiling water can be effective to kill pathogens and bacteria, but it does not eliminate small plastic particles/polymers that comprise microplastics. Mechanistically, there is nothing about boiling water that would change the overall amount of plastic in your water.

However, a recent study found that boiling hard water can result in calcium carbonate precipitates, so called “incrustants,” that encapsulate nano- and microplastics. If water boiled in a kettle is hard water, the incrusted nano-and micro-plastics will settle out and can then be removed using a filter. While this is a potentially promising and affordable approach to removing microplastics, the variability of water hardness at a single tap and the lack of validation make this an unadvisable option compared with a certified filter.

If you are boiling water inside a plastic container, like a plastic kettle or plastic bottle, it is possible that this will release microplastics from the container.

Are any bottled waters free of microplastics?

Not to our knowledge. Not every bottled water brand has been tested, but research typically shows that microplastics concentrations are higher in bottled water than in tap water.

Will drinking bottled water from glass bottles help me avoid microplastics?

Drinking bottled water from a glass bottle could help minimize potential exposures to microplastics that might result from the degradation of the plastic bottle itself. However, if microplastics are in the source water or part of the manufacturing process, the water may still be contaminated with microplastics.

Can water filters with plastic housing leach plastic into drinking water?

There is no substantial research into water filter plastic housing and leachate of microplastics. We hypothesize that leaching of microplastics from a durable plastic housing is probably an insignificant source of microplastics, however, given the short lifespan of filters (most require replacement every 3-6 months) and their relative protection from biological or physical processes. For larger point-of-entry systems, the risk of leachate may be slightly higher. More research into this area is needed to fully understand the risks.

Do pitcher filters like Brita leach plastics into drinking water?

There is no substantial research into water filters leaching microplastics into drinking water. Pitcher filters made of plastic are often used for a long time, however, and thus may be subject to degradation over time. So it is plausible that, over a long time period, some plastic degradation may occur. Given that pitcher filters hold filtered, room temperature/cold water, and are not shaken or physically altered, we hypothesize that the microplastics exposure is less than other sources (like bottled water or reusable plastic food containers).

Is it safe to use reusable water bottles made of plastic? What if only the lid is made of plastic?

Theoretically, any product made of plastic can leach microplastics if it is used repeatedly over time and subject to environmental factors that may cause physical, chemical, or biological degradation. The plastic lid of a water bottle is used at high frequency and so thus may also be a risk for microplastic contribution.

What about other foods and drinks stored in plastic? Can they contain microplastics?

Yes, other foods and drinks stored in plastic containers can be contaminated with microplastics if the plastic containers are of low quality, repeatedly used, and/or subject to factors that cause physical, chemical, or biological degradation.

Microplastics release has been found to be highly temperature sensitive, and so reheating food in plastic containers may pose a risk. One example is plastic baby bottles that are used for feeding infants. Researchers in one study found that heating and shaking the bottles led to higher microplastics release.

Learn more about some alternatives for storing food here.

Want to learn more? Additional Resources include:

EPA Microplastics Research

WHO Health Risks of Microplastics

WHO Microplastics in Drinking Water

CDC & ATSDR Review of Health Data on Microplastics

Explore further insights into Microplastics in drinking water by visiting Tap Score’s “Tips for Taps” blog.

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Have you thought about microplastics in your drinking water? We hope these questions and answers can help you navigate this growing issue. Share more resources or info in the comments below.