Boiling tap water has been shown to remove microplastics. Image source: Wikimedia.
As it has recently become known that even bottled water in plastic bottles contains tens of thousands of microplastics, concerns about microplastics not only in bottled water but also in tap water have increased. Chinese scientists have verified through experiments a simple method of removing microplastics from tap water. It has been shown that microplastics can be removed by boiling and drinking alone, rather than using filters or innovative water purification technology.
A joint research team from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University in China confirmed that most nano-sized microplastics are removed when tap water is boiled, and published research results in the international academic journal ‘Environmental Science & Technology Letters’ on February 29.
In Korea, where water supply control is relatively strict, tap water is drinkable. The problem is that water quality can vary depending on the aging of water pipes or the level of water tank management in each building. An unpleasant taste or smell is also a factor that makes people reluctant to drink it directly.
Recently, concerns about microplastics have also been added. Microplastics refer to plastic particles measuring 1 to 5 nanometers (nm, one billionth of a metre). It occurs in plastic bags, disposable packaging, and plastic bottles. It enters the human body through various routes, and tap water is no exception.
The research team collected tap water samples from Guangzhou, China and created a number of tap water samples containing different amounts of microplastics. Each sample was boiled for 5 minutes and then cooled to room temperature. They then analyzed the microplastic content present in each sample.
The results of the analysis showed that when tap water is boiled, calcium carbonate, which is made from minerals in tap water, forms ‘lime scale’. Lime scale refers to marks that appear on pipes when lime components such as calcium carbonate dissolved in water build up together. At this time, it was confirmed that calcium carbonate concentrates microplastics and forms limestone containing microplastics. This means that microplastics can be removed simply by removing limestone, which looks like limestone marks.
The research team said that through this encapsulation effect, they were able to remove 90% of microplastics from a tap water sample containing 300 milligrams (mg) of calcium carbonate per liter (L) of water. The research team explained, “25% of microplastics were removed even from samples containing less than 60 milligrams of calcium carbonate.” They added, “You can drink water with most of the microplastics removed by a simple but effective method, such as boiling tea. or coffee.” he did
Meanwhile, the effect of microplastic ingestion on the human body is not yet clear, but various research results show that it has a negative effect on the human body. In July last year, a research team at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) published in the international academic journal ‘Environmental Research’ that the continuous ingestion of microplastics can cause ‘neurotoxicity’, a substance that causes inflammatory reactions in the brain. and adverse reactions to the nervous system. . A research team from the Department of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico published research results in the international academic journal ‘Toxicology Science’ on the 17th of last month, showing that an increase in the concentration of microplastics in the human body can increase the risk of inflammation bowel, colon cancer, and reduced sperm count. Analysis suggests that microplastics can act as endocrine disruptors in the body and have long-term effects on human health.
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