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Ubiquity of Microplastics in Drinking Water: An Update on Its Assessment and Impact
Summary
This review documents the widespread presence of microplastics in drinking water worldwide — including both tap and bottled water — and examines the potential health impacts of ingesting these particles. Current evidence shows microplastics are present in essentially all drinking water supplies at levels that cause concern, though the long-term health effects remain under investigation. The review calls for improved water treatment and reduced plastic use as parallel strategies to address the problem.
Manmade synthetic products like plastics were originally invented for comfort as they were inexpensive, lightweight, durable and hydrophobic but in the long run they posed to be non degradable causing air, water and soil pollution. With mechanical degradation, chemical degradation, exposure to UV radiations and even biological degradation by certain microorganisms, plastics are converted to micro-plastics. The increase of certain factors like increased levels of pollution and greenhouse gasses are depleting the Ozone layer. Leading to increased temperature and ambient humidity the degradation potential of plastic polymers by UV- B radiations increases. Micro-plastics including polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride were determined in bottled water. With the increasing use of plastics in day-to-day life, microplastics are leaching out into environment. After leaching out in the environment these microplastics are entering into food web, causing lot of threats to living organisms. For detection of microplastics in water samples, dyes like Rose Bengal and Nile Red are being used for making better contrast under microscopy. Now a day’s use of techniques like Pyrolysis-GC/MS, micro Raman spectroscopy, and IR/FTIR spectroscopy has made the detection of microplastics an easy task. Microplastics entering the food chain are usually inert in nature possessing different sizes and shapes. These microplastics when enter into a cell or tissue cause mechanical damage to them. Microplastics induce inflammation, disturbs metabolism and even lead to necrosis of cells and tissues. The objective of this publication is to present and discuss sources, identification and toxicological impact of microplastics in drinking water.