Microplastics are tiny plastic particles and microfibers from commercial products.
They’re usually between 1-5 millimeters, but they gradually break down into smaller and smaller pieces until they’re invisible to the human eye.
Most are smaller than a teeny-tiny plankton!
In fact, the planktonic arrow worm often swallows pieces of microplastic, blocking its digestion and causing it to die.
Sources of Plastic Contaminants
Apart from larger items like water bottles, microplastics can enter the water from multiple commercial products, including…
- Synthetic clothing fiber
- Tire dust
- Microbeads
- Fishing nets
- Upholstery
- Carpets
- Paints
One of the biggest culprits of microplastic contamination is synthetic clothing fibers in washing machine waste water.
Shockingly, one study found that more than 1,900 fibers can be released by a single synthetic garment in the wash.
These plastic fibers can contaminate local water sources and make their way to your household tap.
Worst of all, plastic waste can never fully biodegrade.
That’s why researchers call microplastics “forever chemicals,” because once they’re in the environment, they’re there to stay.
Worst Areas with Microplastics In Drinking Water
Are you ready for the final results of the ORB Media study?
Here’s how the different locations ranked from lowest to highest levels of microplastics:
- Europe: 72%
- Quito, Ecuador: 75%
- Jakarta, Indonesia: 76%
- Kampala, Uganda: 81%
- New Delhi, India: 82%
- Beirut, Lebanon: 94%
- USA: 94%
Yep, there’s America sitting in dead last.
That’s out of the 159 samples collected from 14 countries.
In the US, researchers even found microplastic contamination in Trump Tower and the Environmental Protection Agency’s own headquarters!
Microplastics Distribution In Bodies of Freshwater
The ORB study only tested tap water, but what about freshwater systems, like wetlands, lakes and rivers around the globe?
As it turns out, there’s plenty of contamination there too…
Lake Superior in the Great Lakes is one of the worst in North America.
The Swiss lakes in Europe and Lake Taihu in China are also known for containing large amounts of microplastics.
Overall, the lakes in China and Saudi Arabia are much worse off than countries in Europe, North America and Africa.
According to a 2022 study, microplastics can become especially concentrated at the source of rivers and streams.
Here, where the water moves more slowly, plastic fibers can take up to seven years to move less than a mile.
Microplastics In Antarctica and North Pole
You might think that the frozen polar regions would be safer from microplastic contamination, but think again…
Although they’re further from populated areas and factories, researchers have found plastic debris in ice cores and snow in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
The microscopic fibers travel to these remote areas through wind and ocean currents.
The samples contained 29 microplastic particles per liter of melted snow!
As more ice melts in the Arctic, an estimated one trillion pieces of trapped plastic particles will be released into the oceans.
The Dangerous Snowball Effect of Microplastics In the Ecosystem
Microplastics soak up other toxins in the water like sponges.
Then marine animals ingest them and they end up in the food chain.
So if you eat seafood, you probably eat microplastics too.
Exactly how bad is the problem?
A recent study found that 73% of fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic contained microplastics.
Even animals living in the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the ocean) are dining on plastic microfibers!
Microplastics are so widespread that they’re even in the packaged food products we eat and drink, including baby formula, soups and rice.
Shockingly, the average person consumes over 5,800 particles of plastic debris a year.
Health Effects of Microplastics In Drinking Water
Microplastics contain chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses.
Studies show that plastic particles can travel through the intestinal wall and reach the lymph nodes and other organs.
The effects can damage a single cell, an organ system, or the entire body.
As they accumulate, toxins can disrupt hormones and affect the liver, kidney, heart, nervous system, and reproductive system.
Some of the worst chemicals used to make plastic-based products are Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and brominated flame retardants.
These chemicals are proven endocrine disruptors (EDCs) that damage healthy hormone production.
EDCs are linked to many diseases and conditions, including:
- Hormonal cancers (breast, prostate, testicular)
- Infertility
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Autism
- Asthma
BPA is one of the most notorious plastic contaminants because it’s so widely used in food packaging.
It makes packaging more resistant to heat, and helps extend the shelf life of food and beverage products.
Unfortunately, it can also wreak havoc on your health!
Scientists knew as early as the 1930s that BPA had hormone-disrupting properties, but sadly it made its way into consumer products anyway!
How to Protect Your Family from Microplastics In Drinking Water
Microplastic contaminants are some of the hardest to remove from drinking water.
That’s because you don’t just have to remove the particles — you also have to remove the chemicals, like BPA.
The good news is that there’s an effective, affordable solution…
High-quality reverse osmosis (RO) systems can remove up to 99.9% of harmful contaminants, including hard-to-remove ones like BPA, phthalates and other microplastic pollutants.
They combine several stages of filtration to leave your water safe and clean, including sediment filters, carbon filters, and RO membranes.
Cloud Water Filters even include a final remineralization stage to add healthy minerals back into the water.
Plus, they use built-in software to monitor your water quality 24/7.
