WHO calls for more research on microplastics in drinking water

The WHO is calling for more research into the effects of microplastics — miniscule fragments from other products such as cosmetics and plastic bottles — in drinking water. Microplastics are ubiquitous, but their impact on human health is largely unknown. There could be harm from the chemicals found within them or from microbes that stick to such particles. “But we need to find out more,” Dr. Maria Neira, director of the WHO’s Department of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health, said in a statement, adding that more needs to be done to simultaneously curb plastic pollution. Wastewater treatment plants can eliminate up to 90% of microplastics, and so the WHO is calling on such facilities to continue prioritizing that work as well as removing microbes from the water supply.