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From Sourceto Sip: Evaluating the Removal of Micro-and Nanoplastics in Conventional Drinking Water Treatment Plants
Summary
Scientists tested water from four treatment plants that pull from Lake Erie and found that standard treatment removes about half of the tiny plastic particles (microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics) present in the raw water, cutting their weight by about 75%. Even so, treated tap water still contained roughly 2 million plastic particles per liter, showing that conventional treatment can't fully eliminate these particles — meaning we're still likely drinking small amounts of plastic with every glass of tap water. More research is needed to understand what this level of exposure means for our health, but this study helps scientists pinpoint which treatment steps work best
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are found in drinking water resources, and characterizing their removal during treatment remains a challenge. In this study, we analyzed raw and treated drinking water from four conventional treatment plants that use Lake Erie as their source and differ based on variations in the design of specific unit operations. MNPs down to 0.5 μm were quantified and identified using scanning electron microscopy and optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy. Raw water concentrations were 2–12 million particles/L, resulting in mass concentrations of 1.8–14.5 μg/L. Removal during treatment averaged 54% and 75% for particle and mass concentrations, respectively. Nanoparticles (NPs) accounted for 47–70% of the measured particles in all samples. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the treated water MNP concentrations, which averaged 2.0 million particles/L, equivalent to an estimated mass concentration of 1.5 μg/L. The most prevalent polymers were polyamide, polyesters, and rubber, and there were notable differences in the removal of polyesters and rubber MNPs smaller than 5 μm at three of the four plants. Overall, these results increase our understanding of MNP removal during conventional drinking water treatment and improve our understanding of human exposure to MNPs through drinking water.