We also ingest microplastics through drinking water, but the effects have not been thoroughly researched.
Last year, the first studies were published confirming the presence of microplastics in drinking water, prompting us to ask what impact this has on humans. In August this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report on the presence and sources of microplastics in drinking water, as well as their potential adverse effects on the human body.
To date, six studies worldwide have examined microplastics in drinking water from the mains supply, measuring levels ranging from zero to several hundred particles per litre of water. No publicly published studies on the levels of microplastics in drinking water in Slovenia have yet been carried out. At the Slovenian Water Institute, we have, however, carried out a preliminary study on an underground source of drinking water and found extremely low concentrations, namely less than one particle per litre.
You can read the full article, which was published in the newspaper Delo, HERE.
Figure 1: Analysis of the presence of microplastics in fish from Slovenian waters (photo: Uroš Robič).