Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Potential Health Risks from Microplastics in Drinking Water

This review assesses the potential human health risks of microplastics in drinking water, noting that while microplastics are widely detected, the health effects at typical exposure levels remain poorly understood. The authors call for improved risk assessment methods and drinking water monitoring standards.

2021 UWSpace (University of Waterloo)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic contamination of drinking water: A systematic review

This systematic review is one of the first to comprehensively assess microplastic contamination in drinking water and estimate how much people are exposed to. The researchers recommend adopting the precautionary principle to address potential health concerns, emphasizing that more standardized research is urgently needed to understand the risks of consuming microplastics in tap and bottled water.

2020 PLoS ONE 313 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in drinking water: a macro issue

This review examines the growing concern of microplastic contamination in drinking water sources, noting that microplastics are found not only in oceans but also in freshwater and tap water. The study highlights that beyond direct harm, microplastics can act as carriers for other contaminants, making their presence in drinking water a significant issue for human health.

2022 Water Science & Technology Water Supply 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Hazards on Water Quality and Human Health

This paper summarizes the hazards of microplastics to water quality and human health. It highlights key exposure routes and the range of potential health concerns associated with microplastic contamination in drinking water and food sources.

2021
Article Tier 2

Presence of Microplastics in Drinking Water and Its Impact on Human Health

This review examined evidence for microplastic presence in drinking water sources and distribution systems, discussing how plastic particles form from the fragmentation of larger plastics and reviewing the emerging evidence for human health impacts from drinking water MP exposure.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water: Assessing Occurrence and Potential Risks

This review paper examines how widespread microplastics are in drinking water — from rivers and lakes to groundwater — and what health risks this contamination may pose. The authors call for urgent research into how microplastics move through water treatment systems and ultimately reach taps, emphasizing that current sampling and analytical methods are inconsistent, making it hard to compare studies or set safety thresholds. For people drinking tap or bottled water daily, understanding and regulating this exposure pathway is a pressing public health priority.

2023 Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics pollution in water is a threat for human health and the environment (literature review)

This literature review examines the growing problem of microplastic contamination in water bodies and drinking water worldwide. Evidence indicates that microplastics pose concerns for human health both through their physical effects and through the chemicals and microorganisms they can carry, with studies confirming their presence in marine and freshwater environments across multiple countries.

2023 Health risk analysis 6 citations
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

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

[Presence of microplastics in water and the potential impact on public health].

This review summarizes what is known about microplastic contamination in drinking water and its potential effects on human health, noting that plastics can enter water supplies through weathering and industrial processes. The authors highlight concerns about physical toxicity, chemical leaching, and the role of microplastics as carriers for pathogens and pollutants, calling for more research and regulatory attention.

2019 Revista espanola de salud publica
Review Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination in Drinking Water: A Review

This review summarized current research on microplastic contamination in drinking water, covering detection methods, occurrence data, and health implications. The authors found microplastics widely present in tap and bottled water worldwide and noted that conventional treatment processes remove them incompletely, raising ongoing concerns about chronic low-level human ingestion.

2025 Journal of Health Science and Pharmacy
Article Tier 2

Microplastic: Unveiling the Stealthy Polluters in Our Water

This review covers microplastic contamination in water sources, documenting sources, environmental pathways, analytical detection methods, and potential human health risks from drinking water containing plastic particles, along with emerging mitigation strategies.

2025 Personalia Pelajar
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in drinking water: A review on methods, occurrence, sources, and potential risks assessment

This systematic review found that microplastics are widespread in drinking water worldwide, with most particles smaller than 10 micrometers and composed of polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. Standardized sampling and analysis methods are urgently needed, as large variations in reported concentrations make it difficult to accurately assess health risks from drinking water exposure.

2024 Environmental Pollution 50 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic Contamination, an Emerging Threat to the Freshwater Environment and Human Health: A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarizes existing research on microplastic contamination in freshwater environments and its implications for human health. The evidence shows that microplastics are widespread in rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources, and they can absorb toxic chemicals, making freshwater plastic pollution a direct concern for the safety of our water supply.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ubiquity of Microplastics in Drinking Water: An Update on Its Assessment and Impact

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.

2021 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

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
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review on the presence of microplastics in drinking water in South American countries with a special emphasis on health risk assessment

This systematic review examines microplastic contamination in drinking water across South American countries. The findings show wide variation in contamination levels and highlight that current health risk assessments for microplastics in drinking water are still limited, though the presence of these particles in tap water raises ongoing concerns about long-term human exposure.

2025 Discover Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics hack the water supply system: What it means for water safety and human health?

This review traced microplastics through the entire water supply chain, from source water to the tap, and found that daily human intake through drinking water is rapidly increasing. The study suggests that water treatment infrastructure, including disinfection chemicals and aging pipes, can actually transform microplastics in ways that increase their health risks.

2025 Water Research 3 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