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Application of GCMS-pyrolysis to estimate the levels of microplastics in a drinking water supply system
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Researchers developed a filtering device to test for microplastics at different stages of a Norwegian city's drinking water supply and found plastic particles present throughout the system. Raw water sources contained the highest levels, but water treatment processes reduced microplastic concentrations by 43% to 100% depending on the polymer type. Polyethylene, polyamide, and polyester were the most commonly detected plastics, highlighting that drinking water is a measurable route of human microplastic exposure.
Communities value water and aquatic environments for a many diverse reasons. Ensuring safe drinking water is prioritized on the political agenda with a dedicated focus on safe and affordable drinking water under the 6th of the UN sustainable development goals. The occurrence of micron sized plastic fragments has been confirmed even in very remote areas. In the present study we analysed drinking water of a medium-sized Norwegian urban area for the presence of microplastics ≥ 1 µm. A modular filtering sampling devices was developed allowing a sequential in-situ enzymatic and mild oxidizing driven sample preparation prior to pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry sample's analysis (pyr-GCMS). Samples were taken at different stages of the drinking water supply chain. The total amount of polymers per sites ranged from 6.1 to 93.1 µg/m. Higher levels were detected in the raw water, but significant reduction rates ranging from 43% to 100% depending on the polymer type were scored after the water treatment processes. Polyethylene, polyamide, and polyester were the most frequently detected polymer types. Overall, the levels of MPs in the raw water influence the occurrence and polymer type occurrence and distribution is the drinking water supply net. This study contributes to the emerging field of plastics pollution in drinking water supply systems by providing effective methods helping with future routine monitoring of this source of human plastic uptake.
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Microplastics in the drinking water supply system: analysis of water from the source to the tap by pyrolysis-GC-MS
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Researchers analyzed microplastic concentrations in raw, treated, and tap water from the Amsterdam drinking water supply system over six months using pyrolysis-GC-MS, targeting six common polymers including PE, PP, PS, PET, PVC, and PMMA. PE and PVC were frequently detected in tap water, contributing new data on MP levels throughout the full drinking water supply chain and their implications for human exposure estimation.
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Researchers used pyrolysis–GC-MS to quantify microplastics by mass concentration at each stage of Amsterdam's drinking water supply—from raw surface water through two treatment plants to household tap water—providing rare mass-based data on MP fate during treatment.
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Researchers used two advanced analytical methods to measure microplastics in drinking water distribution systems in Denmark. They found low but measurable concentrations of microplastic particles, primarily polyethylene and polyester, and emphasize the importance of using rigorous, standardized methods to produce reliable data on microplastic levels in tap water.
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Researchers developed a new method for detecting and characterizing microplastics in drinking water samples from municipal and private treatment systems. They found microplastics in treated drinking water, though at lower concentrations than in source water, and identified fibers as the most common type. The study demonstrates that conventional water treatment does not completely remove microplastics from drinking water.
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Researchers comprehensively investigated microplastic occurrence, sources, and health risks in a drinking water supply system near industrial facilities, finding that a granular activated carbon filter removed 93.39% of microplastics at the treatment plant. However, microplastic abundance increased during distribution, highlighting post-treatment contamination as a critical but underappreciated exposure pathway.
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