Boiling Water: A Simple Solution to Microplastics Contamination
Microplastics have infiltrated much of our environment, and their presence in our bodies has raised significant health concerns. These tiny plastic particles can enter our systems through food, beverages, and even the air we breathe, posing potential risks such as digestive issues, infertility, and certain cancers. With no clear way to avoid them entirely, addressing their presence in our drinking water has become a priority.
Recent research from a team in China offers a promising method to tackle this issue. Published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, the study proposes an effective technique to remove microplastics from drinking water—by simply boiling it.
In their experiments, the researchers added microplastic particles to both hard and soft water. By boiling and subsequently filtering the water, they achieved a removal success rate of up to 90%. Hard water showed the highest efficiency, as explained in their findings:
“This simple boiling water strategy can ‘decontaminate’ NMPs from household tap water and has the potential for harmlessly alleviating human intake of NMPs through water consumption. Our results showed that nanoplastic precipitation efficiency increased with increasing water hardness upon boiling. For example, from 34 percent at 80 mg L−1 to 84 percent and 90 percent at 180 and 300 mg L−1 of calcium carbonate, respectively.”
The presence of limescale, which naturally accumulates in hard water when boiled, aids in trapping microplastics, enhancing their extraction. Although soft water also benefited from this method, the results were less pronounced due to the absence of limescale formation.
For households, this method is easily replicable using standard kitchen equipment. Researchers advocate for the practice of boiling and filtering drinking water to reduce microplastic intake:
“Drinking boiled water apparently is a viable long-term strategy for reducing global exposure to NMPs. Drinking boiled water, however, is often regarded as a local tradition and prevails only in a few regions.”
While this approach might seem inconvenient, it could be a worthwhile measure to limit plastic accumulation in the body. Nonetheless, addressing plastic pollution at a broader scale remains essential, requiring global efforts to protect our ecosystems and health.
For those intrigued by environmental mysteries, explore the mysterious pyramids discovered in Antarctica.
Original Story at twistedsifter.com