photo #8178057

A recent study found that boiling tap water can remove up to 90% of microplastics. Researchers introduced microplastics to hard and soft tap water, boiled it, and filtered the residue. The boiling and filtering technique was most effective in hard water, where limescale (calcium carbonate) trapped plastic particles. In soft water, about a quarter of the microplastics were still captured, but could be filtered out using a simple device like a tea strainer. Researchers suggest that consuming boiled water is a viable approach for reducing microplastic exposure, and advocate for further researchRESEARCH PAPER 📄Zimin Yu et al, “Drinking Boiled Tap Water Reduces Human Intake of Nanoplastics and Microplastics”, Environmental Science & Technology Letters (2024).