Microplastics are not just contaminating the ocean but drinking water as well. Of the more than 150 tap water samples collected from cities and towns of five continents, 83 per cent were contaminated with plastic fibres, minute particles of plastic which are invisible to the eye and can be dangerous to human health, said the study.
Although many studies have shown plastic pollution in the oceans, the 10 month observational study by Orb Media was the first to test tap water for the presence of microplastics, claim the authors.
India came third on the list after the US and Lebanon, with 82.4 per cent of India’s tap water contaminated with microplastics. In India, samples were collected only from Delhi. Of the 17 tap water samples collected from Delhi, 14 had microscopic plastic fibres. Bottled water in the US also had microplastics, it said.
The study holds importance as no governments and individuals have so far examined how plastic in drinking water, food, and air can harm humans, say the authors. Since
— source downtoearth.org.in | Richa Agarwal | 13 Sep 2017