A recent study reports that people probably ingest a huge number of plastic microparticles every year from the tap water. Collected samples from 14 countries suggested this fact.
Several previous findings already hinted that plastic particles absorb and also release the potentially harmful bacteria and chemicals. Now, the recent study pointed out that people ingest plastic microparticles between 3,000 to 4,000 every year through tap water. During the study researchers analyzed samples of 159 tap water and 83 percent of it explored the existence of the plastic particles. A report compiled by the Orb Media suggested this fact.
The report is entitled as "Invisibles: The plastic inside us". Researchers from the State University of New York and the University of Minnesota conducted the test. The research team opines that much research mainly paid attention to the plastic pollution of rivers, air, lakes, the ocean. On the other hand, sufficient attention has not paid to the presence of the plastic microparticles in the human consumables.
The latest research study for the first time focused on the micro plastics in the drinking water. Researchers collected the samples of tap water from several cities of some countries in the world. These include New Delhi of India, Beirut of Lebanon, Kampala of Uganda, Quito of Ecuador, Jakarta of Indonesia. The researchers even collected samples from various cities in seven countries in Europe and the U.S.
Lab testing of the tap water samples took place at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. The major portions of the particles found in the tap water were fibers that had the length from 0.1 to five millimeters, according to Phys.org. The analysis of the samples revealed the presence of zero to fifty-seven particles in per liter of water. In a word, the study found an average presence of 4.34 plastic particles in per liter water.
According to the research team, North America revealed plastic particle's highest density. On the contrary, the seven countries in Europe had the lowest densities. If a man's chosen beverages are tap water or prepared with the tap water, then he may consume 14 plastic particles on a daily basis. Now, this opinion is based on three liters of the liquid consumption per day.
For women, daily intake of 2.2 liters would amount to 10 plastic particles. This regular intake must bring an annual consumption of 3,000 particles for women and 4,000 particles for men. The outcome of the study indicates the consequences of the plastic use and its disposal.
This year in January a study revealed that a consumer of the European shellfish probably ingests 11,000 micro plastics every year. Now, more tests are necessary to collect more data to explore sources and pathways regarding the potential plastic pollution. The tests can also reveal the risks of the pollution to the human health.
