Studies carried out in recent years have shown the widespread occurrence of microplastics and nanoplastics in the environment around us.

What is microplastic?

Microplastics are water-insoluble fine particles less than 5 millimetres in length. They are a by-product of our economy and are increasingly common in the oceans, land, atmosphere, drinking water and food.

We consume it every day with the water we drink and the food we eat: fish, meat, rice and even fresh fruit and vegetables. Plastic particles are ingested by the animals we eat; they are also released from materials that are used to store food.

Are microplastics harmful?

According to M.M. Richter, a certified nutritionist, there are a number of long-term effects of chronic exposure to microplastics; these include:

• digestive disorders,
• endocrine disorders,
• cardiovascular diseases,
• neurodegenerative disorders, and obesity.

Microplastics and the impact on health, photo: panthermedia

Lack of access to nutritious food and cleaner water can increase the risk of exposure.

How do you get rid of microplastics in your water?

Researchers in China have discovered that tap water can help remove up to 90% of the microplastics it contains. To do this, the water needs to be poured through a coffee filter. This process will remove the crystalline capsules that form around microplastics thanks to the calcium carbonate produced by hard, boiling tap water.

During the study, this technique removed up to 90% of microplastics from hard water samples and up to 25% of microplastics from soft water.

We can also reduce our plastic consumption by giving up brewing tea in plastic bags. Indeed, scientists have discovered that a single plastic tea bag, which is usually brewed at 95 °C, releases around 11.6 billion microplastic particles and 3.1 billion nanoplastic particles.