Latest news with #ZiminYu
Euronews
04-04-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Scientists claim this simple action could remove harmful microplastics from drinking water
ADVERTISEMENT Microplastics have been found deep inside our organs and tissue , entering the body through the food and drink we consume and the air we breathe. However, a simple method could help to stop humans from ingesting the potentially harmful nanoparticles. Boiling water could decrease the concentration of microplastics in drinking water, a new study has found. Researchers from China tested waters with a different hardness to which they added nanoplastics and microplastics and then boiled them for five minutes. Related Microplastics are making their way into the human brain at higher levels than previously recorded The process managed to reduce the concentration of nanoplastics from 25 per cent for soft water to 90 per cent for very hard water which contains more minerals, according to the results published last year in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters . "This simple boiling water strategy can 'decontaminate' NMPs [nano and microplastics] from household tap water and has the potential for harmlessly alleviating human intake of NMPs through water consumption," Zimin Yu, a biomedical engineer from Guangzhou Medical University and one of the study authors, said in a statement. "Drinking boiled water apparently is a viable long-term strategy for reducing global exposure to NMPs," the authors said in their paper, warning that the efficacy may vary from region to region depending on the water quality. "Drinking boiled water is an ancient tradition in some Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, and Indonesia," the team added. Related Scientists find most microplastics in drinking water are smaller than EU detection limits How does boiling help? The calcium carbonate, one of the minerals contained in high quantities in hard water, is thought to trap the small plastics in a crust as it forms limescale when the temperature rises. Researchers from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University advised the use of non-plastic kettles and stainless steel filters in order to retain the limescale containing the microplastics. Microplastics are increasingly recognised as a potential threat to human health, with a growing amount of research linking them to various possible health issues. Last year, a study linked microplastics present in arteries to a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. Related Microplastics may make bacteria more resistant to antibiotics, researchers say Another study showed that individuals with dementia showed a higher concentration of microplastics in their brain . However, those studies were observational - comparing data from one group to another - and a causal effect hasn't been established by researchers. The Chinese research team believes further study is required to establish if boiling water can keep other artificial materials out of our bodies. "Our results have ratified a highly feasible strategy to reduce human NMP exposure and established the foundation for further investigations with a much larger number of samples," the authors said.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
There's a Surprisingly Simple Way to Remove Microplastics From Drinking Water
Tiny fragments of microplastics are making their way deep inside our bodies in concerning quantities, significantly through our food and drink. In 2024, scientists found a simple and effective means of removing them from water. A team from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University in China ran tests on both soft water and hard tap water (which is richer in minerals). "Tap water nano/microplastics (NMPs) escaping from centralized water treatment systems are of increasing global concern, because they pose potential health risk to humans via water consumption," write the researchers in their paper. They added in nanoplastics and microplastics before boiling the liquid and then filtering out any precipitates. In some cases, up to 90 percent of the NMPs were removed by the boiling and filtering process, though the effectiveness varied based on the type of water. Of course the big benefit is that most people can do it using what they already have in their kitchen. "This simple boiling water strategy can 'decontaminate' NMPs from household tap water and has the potential for harmlessly alleviating human intake of NMPs through water consumption," write biomedical engineer Zimin Yu from Guangzhou Medical University and colleagues. A greater concentration of NMPs was removed from samples of hard tap water, which naturally forms a build-up of limescale (or calcium carbonate) as it is heated. Commonly seen inside kitchen kettles, the chalky substance forms on the plastic's surface as changes in temperature force the calcium carbonate out of solution, effectively trapping the plastic fragments in a crust. "Our results showed that nanoplastic precipitation efficiency increased with increasing water hardness upon boiling," the team writes. "For example, from 34 percent at 80 mg L−1 to 84 percent and 90 percent at 180 and 300 mg L−1 of calcium carbonate, respectively." Even in soft water, where less calcium carbonate is dissolved, roughly a quarter of the NMPs were snagged from the water. Any bits of lime-encrusted plastic could then be removed through a simple filter like the stainless steel mesh used to strain tea, the researchers say. Past studies have measured fragments of polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate in potable tap water, which we're consuming daily in varying quantities. To put the strategy to the ultimate test, the researchers added even more nanoplastic particles, which were effectively reduced in number. "Drinking boiled water apparently is a viable long-term strategy for reducing global exposure to NMPs," write the researchers. "Drinking boiled water, however, is often regarded as a local tradition and prevails only in a few regions." The research team hopes that drinking boiled water might become a more widespread practice as plastics continue to take over the world. While it's still not certain exactly how damaging this plastic is to our bodies, it's clearly not the healthiest of snacks. Plastics have already been linked to changes in the gut microbiome and the body's antibiotic resistance. The team behind this latest study wants to see more research into how boiled water could keep artificial materials out of our bodies – and perhaps counter some of the alarming effects of microplastics that are emerging. "Our results have ratified a highly feasible strategy to reduce human NMP exposure and established the foundation for further investigations with a much larger number of samples," write the authors. The research has been published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. An earlier version of this article was published in March 2024. 'Wild Swimming' Does Something Amazing to Your Mind, Study Reveals A Simple Mistake Might Have Encouraged Sick People to Eat The Dead Men And Women May Respond Differently to Latest Alzheimer's Drugs
