The latest issue of The Aquifer, the newsletter from the Groundwater Guardian, includes an article about a topic lately found in media headlines – microplastics in drinking water.
What is a microplastic?
Microplastics are plastic particles that are less than five millimeters in length, which is about the size of a sesame seed. Many microplastics are much small enough to be invisible to the naked eye. Microplastics are used in a variety of manufacturing and industrial applications, along with 3D printing. They are also in consumer products such as synthetic fabrics, toothpastes, and skincare products (microbeads). They are also formed when larger pieces of plastic trash break apart into tiny fragments.
These tiny particles are then unknowingly consumed by both animals and people through water, air, and food.
What can be done?
Once plastics are in the environment and break down into microplastic particles, preventing exposure is very difficult. Therefore, reducing plastic
production and use is the first line of defense for minimizing environmental contamination. If you are looking for a point of use treatment system for your home or office, select ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis technologies capable of filtering particles as small as 0.001 microns.
Read more about microplastics and health concerns in the full article.
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