There Are Now Plastic Fibres In Tap Water All Around The World

Billions of people globally are drinking water contaminated by plastic particles, according to an investigation done by Orb Media.

Scores of tap water samples from around the world were tested and analyzed by scientists, who concluded that 83 percent of the water was contaminated with plastic.

At 94 percent, the US had the highest level of contamination. Although European nations such as the UK and Germany had the lowest levels, at 72 percent, they still had worrying levels of contamination.

“We have enough data from looking at wildlife, and the impacts that it’s having on wildlife, to be concerned,” said Dr Sherri Mason, a microplastic expert at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who supervised the analyses for Orb. “If it’s impacting [wildlife], then how do we think that it’s not going to somehow impact us?”

Microplastics have been shown to absorb toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses, and then release them when consumed by fish and mammals.

“We are living in The Plastic Age,” the investigation stated. “Plastic frees us, improving daily life in almost uncountable ways. And plastic imprisons us in waste and microscopic pollution.”