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Micro- and nanoplastics in drinking water: the review
Summary
Tiny plastic particles called micro- and nanoplastics have been found in both tap and bottled water, and this review pulls together what scientists currently know about where they come from and whether water treatment plants can actually filter them out. The takeaway: current treatment methods only partially remove these particles, and researchers still don't fully understand what health risks come from swallowing them regularly. More study is needed, but for now, it's a reminder that "clean" drinking water may still contain plastic bits too small to see.
Plastic pollution in water is becoming increasingly alarming due to the annual increase in global plastic production. Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) have been detected in drinking water sources and tap water, raising concerns about the effectiveness of drinking water treatment plants and the public health of people who consume tap or bottled water. This article presents a systematic review of the available knowledge on the global occurrence of MNPs in drinking water sources and treated water, tap water, and/or bottled water. Data on the occurrence and properties of MNPs (polymer type, shape, and size) are presented. It then discusses the knowledge on the effectiveness of MNPs removal in various unit processes used for drinking water treatment, including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, sand and membrane filtration, adsorption, advanced oxidation processes, and disinfection. Attention is also drawn to the health risks that MNPs present in drinking water may pose. Currently, there still appear to be gaps in research on MNPs removal in drinking water treatment. This article therefore discusses the potential challenges, strategies, and research needs related to the occurrence and removal of MNPs in unit processes used in drinking water production.