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Tracing microplastics in rural drinking water in Chongqing, China: Their presence and pathways from source to tap

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2023 60 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Xin‐Feng Wei, Xin‐Feng Wei, Chen Chen, Xin‐Feng Wei, Guanyu Zhou, Guanyu Zhou, Guanyu Zhou, Guanyu Zhou, Guanyu Zhou, Guanyu Zhou, Guanyu Zhou, Guanyu Zhou, Xin‐Feng Wei, Xin‐Feng Wei, Xin‐Feng Wei, Qidong Wu, Chen Chen, Guanyu Zhou, Chen Chen, Qidong Wu, John C. Crittenden Qidong Wu, Chen Chen, Qidong Wu, Qidong Wu, Xin‐Feng Wei, Chen Chen, Chen Chen, Qidong Wu, Qidong Wu, Qidong Wu, Guanyu Zhou, Xin‐Feng Wei, Xin‐Feng Wei, Chen Chen, Chen Chen, Xin‐Feng Wei, Chen Chen, Baicang Liu, Jun Ma, Baicang Liu, Guanyu Zhou, Chen Chen, Baicang Liu, Chen Chen, Jun Ma, Xin‐Feng Wei, Xin‐Feng Wei, Xin‐Feng Wei, Xin‐Feng Wei, John C. Crittenden John C. Crittenden Baicang Liu, Jun Ma, Jun Ma, Baicang Liu, Chen Chen, Jun Ma, Baicang Liu, Guanyu Zhou, Baicang Liu, John C. Crittenden Jun Ma, Baicang Liu, Baicang Liu, Baicang Liu, Jun Ma, John C. Crittenden John C. Crittenden

Summary

Researchers traced the journey of microplastics through a rural drinking water system in Chongqing, China, from reservoir to tap. They found that the water treatment plant successfully removed all microplastics from the water, but contamination increased again during pipe transport to homes, resulting in about 1.4 particles per liter at the tap. The study reveals that aging distribution pipes are a significant and often overlooked source of microplastic exposure in drinking water.

Polymers

PE PET PP

Study Type Environmental

Despite the significant attention given to microplastics in urban areas, our understanding of microplastics in rural drinking water systems is still limited. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the presence and pathways of microplastics in rural drinking water system, including reservoir, water treatment plant (WTP), and tap water of end-users. The results showed that the treatment processes in the WTP, including coagulation-sedimentation, sand-granular active carbon filtration, and ultrafiltration, completely removed microplastics from the influent. However, the microplastic abundance increased during pipe transport from WTP to residents' homes, resulting in the presence of 1.4 particles/L of microplastics in tap water. This microplastic increase was also observed during the transportation from the reservoir to the WTP, suggesting that the plastic pipe network is a key source of microplastics in the drinking water system. The main types of polymers were PET, PP, and PE, and plastic breakdown, atmospheric deposition, and surface runoff were considered as their potential sources. Furthermore, this study estimated that rural residents could ingest up to 1034 microplastics annually by drinking 2 L of tap water every day. Overall, these findings provide essential data and preliminary insights into the fate of microplastics in rural drinking water systems.

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