Microplastics are everywhere and they can be in your tap water or well water too. They may seem small but they can cause serious problems, so you need a water filtration system that can remove them and make your drinking water contaminant-free. Here are some of the harmful effects of microplastics in water and how you can remove them.
Harmful Effects Of Microplastics In Drinking Water
Before getting into how to actually remove microplastics from the water, the first thing you want to know is about the effects it can have on the overall human body as well as everything it comes in contact with. So, here are the threats of drinking or using water containing microplastics.
Poisoning
Tap water is used for many things. You use it to make food during cooking, you use it to fill up your pet’s water bowl, even a fish bowl if you have it. But if the tap water has microplastics in it, then it might cause poisoning.
Now, this is not the type of poisoning that can take you out immediately, but it is the kind that builds slowly and slowly destroys everything in your body. Plastics are never good to consume because when they break down or react a certain way, they can produce toxins.
Digestive System Problems
Plastics are the epitome of clogging things, and if you are consuming tap water without cleaning or purifying it, then the small pieces and traces of plastics can go inside the body, and they can actually obstruct the digestive tract. This sounds just as scary as it actually is.
Imagine not being able to digest anything because your stomach is clogged and it is unable to function properly. Well, this is why you want to ensure that you’re filtering the water before anything else.
Deteriorating Health
Microplastics can be classified as silent deteriorating agents and if you are consuming water that is not filtered and not even checked for impurities, then you are not doing any favors to your health.
This is why you want to remove the microplastics and all of the other impurities from the water, because microplastics in general can cause a lot of problems, especially when they go inside your body. They can really mess up your systems and things just won’t be as smooth sailing.
Toxins Can Damage Organs
By now, you would know that when you consume microplastics, they can break down or even react with certain things in the digestive tract or even your stomach and lead to the production of toxins. Well, that is not good at all and you will slowly see the effects of the toxins in your body and your day-to-day life.
You will feel more lethargic, you will feel extremely sick, and sometimes, the effects can be really violent and they can cause issues, like vomiting, diarrhea, and a bunch of other diseases that will affect your everyday life and how you normally do certain things.
They Can Cause Cell Damage
This is probably one of the most harmful effects of microplastics in water and that is cell damage. Your cells naturally have a shelf life and after that, new cells are born, and they take over the task.
Well, microplastics can prematurely cause cell damage and this can lead to abnormal cell production, which is not good, because if it goes on and on, then you might be at risk of cancer or even malignant tumors and that is not good at all. So, you definitely don’t want microplastics to mess with your body’s natural cell production.
How To Remove Microplastics From Your Tap Water?
So, now that you know how microplastics pose health risks, you should test your water for microplastics. If there are present in your drinking water, here is what you can do to remove microplastics from tap water. As microplastics are everywhere, you should also try ways to limit microplastics dangers.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a really effective way to remove almost all kinds of contaminants in the water, and it is one of the best investments that you can make in your house if you want the tap water to be clean and ready, and safe for use overall.
An RO system works by passing water through a semi-permeable membrane that is only lets the water molecules pass through, and the impurities and the microplastics behind. This is a great and really fast way of getting clean and pure water and it will guarantee the removal of micro plastics from the water too. So, if you want clean and microplastic-free drinking water, then you have to consider getting a reverse osmosis system for your house.
If you want, you can get a whole-house RO system, or you can have it installed on one primary tap or faucet and use the water from there. That will take care of everything, but a whole-house system is way better than a single tap water filtration system.
So, if you have the budget, then you have to go for the first option, because it will definitely be worth it in the end.
Ultrafiltration
There are regular filters and then there are filters with really small micron sizes that will remove even the smallest impurities in the water. This is known as ultrafiltration and this process is really good for removing microplastics from the water.
They are just like regular filters, but they are really small in micron size. They let the water pass and leave behind the impurities that you don’t want in the water, for instance, microplastics.
The only thing you have to worry about after the installation of ultrafiltration filters is to change them regularly. You don’t want to use the same filter forever. Change it once a month or when you see the filter starting to either get really dirty or the water pressure is decreasing. You will know exactly what to do when the time comes.
Activated Carbon Filter
Lastly and this is a really good and effective way of cleaning the water and also ensuring that the water is free from all kinds of microplastics. What you want to do is go for an activated carbon filter. If you don’t know what an activated carbon filter is, it is basically a filter with activated carbon, which is a natural magnet for impurities. It literally sucks everything out of the water that is unwanted. It makes the water clean and it is really good for you. Also, it also gets rid of microplastics, which is amazing.
So, if you want a filter that takes care of everything, from microplastics to many types of impurities, then activated carbon filters will be your best bet. They will seriously change the game forever and you will see the results for yourself.
Conclusion
Microplastics are really bad for your health if you continuously consume water with microplastics on a regular basis. You can install a faucet-mounted, under-sink, or a whole house water filtration Erie system to get rid of them.