Plastic pollution reaches the entire planet. The presence of microplastics It is of particular concern in the oceans and also in the atmosphere, but we also know that they are present in tap water. Now, thanks to a recent study published in the journal water researchwe know which are the most and least polluted waters in Spain.
The research work, prepared by Spanish scientists from various universities and CSIC research centers, analyzes the presence of microplastics in tap water from the network of eight cities, six on the peninsula (Madrid, Barcelona, Vigo, A Coruña, Murcia and Cartagena) and two on the Canary Islands (San Cristóbal de La Laguna and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). The results confirm something that was already known -or suspected-: tap water is contaminated with plastic microparticles, although not with the same amounts in all cities.
To carry out the study, the researchers took samples simultaneously in the eight cities in two different periods, May and July 2022, using the same sampling and identification procedures. For this, they used stainless steel filters attached to household connectionsto later analyze all the particles found spectroscopically, both the plastic ones and those of natural materials altered with industrial processes -textiles, above all-.
According to the results obtained, the highest levels of contamination were recorded in Madrid, which exceeded 30 microplastics per cubic meter of water. At the other extreme, the water Cartagena It is the one that has come out best, with 7 particles. In the other cities, the level remains between 10 and 15 microplastic particles per cubic meter.
As stated to The confidential robert rosalcoordinator of the work, they are not worrying levels a priori, since Spain shows concentrations of these contaminants “in the low range compared to those found in the world literature in this type of water”. In addition, he points out, they are very similar to those of other contaminants common in tap water, in concentrations considered perfectly safe for consumption.
The problem is that we still don’t know for sure what effects these microplastics can have on health in the medium or long term. these particles are not yet among the regulated pollutantsTherefore, the professor of Chemical Engineering points out, the numbers “are neither too much nor too little, because there are no reference parameters”.
The European Union plans to include them in Community legislation, but more studies and research are still needed to shed some light on the possible consequences you may have from continued exposure to these contaminants. Because so far it has only been speculated with hypotheses, but no scientific proof that sustain them. While working to regulate their presence in water, food or packaging, little by little we are getting a more accurate idea of how many microplastics we consume or breathe, and where they come from.
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