Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of potentially toxic elements and microplastics in the water treatment facility

Researchers examined a water treatment plant in Poland and found microplastics present throughout the facility, with an average concentration of about 109 particles per liter and sizes up to 4 millimeters. While the toxic metals detected posed low health risk on their own, the presence of microplastics in treated water highlights gaps in current water purification processes that could affect the safety of drinking water.

2024 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastics in the drinking water production

Researchers tracked the fate of microplastics through drinking water treatment processes, finding that conventional treatment steps like coagulation, sedimentation, and filtration removed the majority of microplastics but did not eliminate them entirely.

2022 Water Research 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics via drinking water treatment: Current knowledge and future directions

This review examines what is currently known about microplastics in drinking water systems and how well existing water treatment processes remove them. Researchers found that while conventional treatment steps like coagulation and filtration do reduce microplastic levels, significant amounts can still persist through to tap water. The study calls for more research into optimizing treatment processes and developing monitoring strategies specifically targeting microplastic contamination in drinking water.

2020 Chemosphere 386 citations
Review Tier 2

Removal of microplastics and nanoplastics in water treatment processes: A systematic literature review

Researchers systematically reviewed 103 studies across 26 water treatment plants in 12 countries to assess how well various technologies remove microplastics and nanoplastics from drinking water, finding that while coagulation, filtration, and advanced treatments help, significant gaps remain. The review identifies that no single process achieves complete removal, leaving microplastics as a persistent contaminant in treated water supplies.

2024 Journal of Water Process Engineering 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Identifying microplastic contamination in drinking water: analysis and evaluation using spectroscopic methods

Researchers developed analytical methods to identify and quantify microplastic contamination in drinking water, evaluating extraction efficiency and detection accuracy across different water types and plastic particle sizes. The study assessed health implications based on measured plastic loads in treated water.

2024 Interdisciplinary Environmental Review
Article Tier 2

A critical review on recent research progress on microplastic pollutants in drinking water

This critical review synthesizes research on microplastic contamination in drinking water sources and treatment systems. The study highlights that microplastics have been found in rivers, lakes, and treatment facilities worldwide, and that bioaccumulation of these persistent particles through drinking water represents a potential concern that requires further investigation into health effects and improved removal technologies.

2023 Environmental Research 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating microplastics at two drinking water treatment plants within a river catchment

Researchers tracked microplastics through each treatment stage at two Czech drinking water treatment plants on the same river, finding that the downstream plant received far higher raw water concentrations (1,296 vs. 23 particles/L) and that current treatment reduced but did not eliminate microplastics from finished drinking water.

2023
Article Tier 2

Enrichment of microplastics from drinking water treatment sludge

Researchers investigated the enrichment and concentration of microplastics in drinking water treatment sludge, building on prior evidence that treatment processes remove up to 93% of microplastics from source water and thereby accumulate them in sludge byproducts. The study developed and evaluated methods for isolating and characterizing microplastics from this underexplored but potentially significant secondary pollution reservoir.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water: A Review of Sources, Removal, Detection, Occurrence, and Potential Risks

This review examines how microplastics enter drinking water supply systems, evaluates methods for their detection and removal, and summarizes what is known about their occurrence in treated water. Researchers found that while conventional water treatment removes a significant portion of microplastics, no current method eliminates them completely. The study highlights the need for improved monitoring standards and further research into the long-term health effects of ingesting microplastics through drinking water.

2025 Toxics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Differences in the occurrence of microplastic at two technically diverse drinking water treatment plants within the same river catchment

Researchers compared microplastic occurrence in drinking water produced by two treatment plants using different technologies, finding that treatment design significantly affected which and how many microplastics remained in finished water. The results highlight the importance of treatment technology in determining consumer exposure to microplastics in tap water.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Removal in Water Treatment System: A Study of Baghdad’s Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Plants

Researchers analyzed microplastic levels at inlets and outlets of two drinking water plants and two wastewater plants in Baghdad, Iraq, characterizing particles by color, shape, size, and composition to assess treatment efficiency and identify residual contamination in treated water.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Developing a Methodology for the Testing of Microplastics in Drinking Water Treatment Plants

Researchers developed a standardized methodology for testing microplastic removal efficiency at drinking water treatment plants, including sampling, analysis, and reporting protocols. Having consistent methods is critical for comparing microplastic contamination across different water treatment facilities and establishing regulatory benchmarks.

2021 Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast)
Article Tier 2

Impact of Drinking Water Treatment on Removal of Microplastics

Microplastics were measured throughout six drinking water treatment facilities using Raman spectroscopy and found at concentrations ranging widely in source water, with treatment processes achieving substantial but incomplete removal.

2024 TSpace
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in water, from treatment process to drinking water: analytical methods and potential health effects

This systematic review examines how microplastics travel through the water treatment process from raw water sources to your tap and bottled water. The researchers present methods for detecting these particles and assess potential health impacts of drinking microplastic-contaminated water. The findings suggest that current water treatment may not fully remove microplastics, meaning ongoing low-level exposure through drinking water is likely.

2022 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracking microplastics in a drinking water supply system proximity to industrial facilities: Occurrence, source identification, and risk assessment

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.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and removal of microplastics by advanced and conventional drinking water treatment facilities

Researchers evaluated the performance of both advanced and conventional drinking water treatment processes for removing microplastics, finding that advanced methods such as ultrafiltration substantially outperform standard coagulation and filtration. Most conventional treatment plants leave a meaningful fraction of microplastics in finished drinking water.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and associated chemicals in drinking water: A review of their occurrence and human health implications

This review examines how microplastics in drinking water can leach harmful chemicals like plasticizers, stabilizers, and UV filters, especially during water treatment processes that use disinfectants or UV light. These released chemicals can affect the nervous, digestive, reproductive, and liver systems in humans. The findings suggest that microplastics in tap water and bottled water may pose health risks not just from the plastic particles themselves, but also from the toxic chemicals they carry and release.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in drinking water treatment plants, distribution systems, water from refill kiosks, tap waters and bottled waters

This review summarizes research on microplastic contamination across the entire drinking water supply chain, from treatment plants to tap water and bottled water. Microplastics were found at every stage, with concentrations varying widely depending on location and treatment methods. The findings highlight that people are regularly consuming microplastics through their drinking water, though more standardized research is needed to fully understand the health implications.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Water: Occurrence, Human Health Impact and Methods of Analysis

This review covers the occurrence of microplastics in water sources globally, summarizing human health impacts from ingestion and inhalation, and evaluating available treatment technologies for removing microplastics from drinking water. The authors conclude that conventional water treatment is insufficient for complete microplastic removal.

2024 Oriental Journal Of Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of the Efficiency of Drinking Water Treatment Systems in the Removal of Microplastics

Researchers analysed the efficiency of drinking water treatment systems in removing microplastics — primarily PET, PP, PS, and PVC fibres and fragments — from source water, reviewing how physical, chemical, and biological treatment stages contribute to reduction. The review also evaluates associated health risks including inflammation, oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and genetic damage linked to microplastic exposure via drinking water.

2024 Universidad Industrial de Santander
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the Presence of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Development and Verification of Strategies for Their Quantification and Removal in Aqueous Streams

Researchers evaluated microplastic presence in wastewater treatment plants and developed a pilot capture system capable of detecting, quantifying, and removing microplastic particles from water. The study found that conventional treatment processes are insufficient for complete microplastic removal, highlighting the need for dedicated technologies to address this gap in water treatment infrastructure.

2025 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water

This review examines published evidence on microplastic presence in tap water, bottled water, and drinking water treatment plants, summarizing known pathways by which microplastics enter drinking water supplies and discussing potential human health impacts and future research priorities.

2025
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic contamination in drinking water from an italian plant: An analytical study

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination at multiple treatment stages in a drinking water plant in northern Italy that processes turbid river water supplemented with groundwater, quantifying particles through sedimentation, flocculation, sand filtration, activated carbon adsorption, and disinfection stages.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)