The Health Risk of Plastic in Drinking Water is Low

Consumers are not at risk, say WHO.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined as "low" the risk to the health of microplastics in drinking water.

The current level of small particles of plastic in drinking water does not endanger consumers, WHO said, but added that more research was needed on the topic.

The detection of small particles of plastic in drinking and bottled water caused a great deal of noise in the media, but the UN agency did not directly detect human impact.

"The guiding message is that drinking water users around the world, based on our assessment, can rest assured that their health risk is low," said Bruce Gordon of the WHO Department of Public Security.

The organization's study found that most plastic particles in drinking and bottled water are larger than 150 micrometers. This means that they do not pass through the walls of the intestine and are excreted through the digestive system.

If there are smaller particles than 150 microns, they would pass through the intestinal walls and be deposited in other organs.

WHO acknowledges that they do not have enough information on whether this is happening and what its possible consequences are.

Alice Horton, a researcher on microplastics from the UK, says that it should be remembered that people are exposed to microplastics in many places and in many ways in their daily lives and drinking water is just one of them.