Boiling tap water can remove up to 90% of microplastic particles. This has been shown by a study published in the journal. Environmental Science and Technology Letters.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic debris less than 5 millimeters in length. They enter the environment from industrial waste and consumer products and are found in oceans, the atmosphere, bottled water and the human body.
For the experiment, scientists recreated the composition of tap water using minerals commonly found in it and also added microplastics such as polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene.
The samples were boiled for 5 minutes and then allowed to cool. Researchers noted a sharp decline in microplastic concentrations. In harder water (there was more calcium carbonate), the microplastic content decreased by almost 90%. This is because at high temperatures the plastic particles become trapped inside the calcium carbonate particles. Scientists filtered them using a coffee filter.
According to the World Health Organization, there is still not enough research on the health effects of microplastics. However, micropolystyrene has been shown to damage human cells in vitro, as well as cause intestinal inflammation and reduce fertility in mice.
Previous scientists stated It’s about the astonishingly rapid sinking of the east coast of the United States.