• Home
  • Agric
  • Sci, Tech & Innovation
  • Health
  • Environ/Climate Change
  • More
    • Business/Banking & Finance
    • Politics/Elections
    • Entertainments & Sports
    • International
    • Investigation
    • Law & Human Rights
    • Africa/AU/ECOWAS
    • Research and Development
    • CENTRAL AFRICA
    • EAST AFRICA
    • NORTH AFRICA
    • AFRICAN UNION/ECOWAS
    • Corruption/EFCC/ICPC
    • EFCC/ICPC
    • Hassan Gimba
    • ECONOMY, TRADE & INVESTMENT
    • Column
    • Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Prof. M.K. Othman
    • CSOs/ORGANISED LABOUR
    • Defense/Security
    • CRIME WATCH
    • DISASTER/ACCIDENT/FRSC
    • DEVELOPMENT STORIES
    • DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
    • Education/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • EXAMS/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • SCHOOLS/INSTITUTIONS
    • Energy/Electricity
    • Entertainment/Arts & Sports
    • Society and Lifestyle
    • FAITH AND WORSHIP
    • Food & Agriculture
    • GOOD GOVERNANCE
    • Health & Healthy Living
    • Technology
    • INFRASTRUCTURE
    • International News
    • Interviews
    • Fact-check/Investigation
    • Judiciary
    • Legislature
    • Judiciary/Legislature/Law & Human Rights
    • LITERATURE
    • Oil & Gas/Mineral Resources
    • PEOPLE & PERSONALITIES
    • Media/PR/Journalism
    • PICTURES/VIDEOS/AUDIOS
    • Elections
    • General News
    • Presidency
    • PRESS RELEASES
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board Of Advisory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ethics Policy
    • Teamwork And Collaboration Policy
    • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Advertising
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Kano gov appoints 116 additional aides
  • Demolition: Court orders Kano govt to pay N30bn compensation to Eid shop owners
  • Ex-Kwara commissioner explains EFCC invitation
  • CSOs tasks govt on strategies to fund humanitarian services in northeast
  • FG inaugurates initiative to provide digital skills to 3m MSMEs
  • Osun gov cancels independence day celebrations 
  • BBNaija: How I almost missed All-Stars participation – Cee-C
  • FCT to partner Italy on agriculture, sustainable city, tourism – Wike
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
AsheNewsAsheNews
  • Home
  • Agric
  • Sci, Tech & Innovation
  • Health
  • Environ/Climate Change
  • More
    • Business/Banking & Finance
    • Politics/Elections
    • Entertainments & Sports
    • International
    • Investigation
    • Law & Human Rights
    • Africa/AU/ECOWAS
    • Research and Development
    • CENTRAL AFRICA
    • EAST AFRICA
    • NORTH AFRICA
    • AFRICAN UNION/ECOWAS
    • Corruption/EFCC/ICPC
    • EFCC/ICPC
    • Hassan Gimba
    • ECONOMY, TRADE & INVESTMENT
    • Column
    • Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Prof. M.K. Othman
    • CSOs/ORGANISED LABOUR
    • Defense/Security
    • CRIME WATCH
    • DISASTER/ACCIDENT/FRSC
    • DEVELOPMENT STORIES
    • DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
    • Education/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • EXAMS/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • SCHOOLS/INSTITUTIONS
    • Energy/Electricity
    • Entertainment/Arts & Sports
    • Society and Lifestyle
    • FAITH AND WORSHIP
    • Food & Agriculture
    • GOOD GOVERNANCE
    • Health & Healthy Living
    • Technology
    • INFRASTRUCTURE
    • International News
    • Interviews
    • Fact-check/Investigation
    • Judiciary
    • Legislature
    • Judiciary/Legislature/Law & Human Rights
    • LITERATURE
    • Oil & Gas/Mineral Resources
    • PEOPLE & PERSONALITIES
    • Media/PR/Journalism
    • PICTURES/VIDEOS/AUDIOS
    • Elections
    • General News
    • Presidency
    • PRESS RELEASES
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board Of Advisory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ethics Policy
    • Teamwork And Collaboration Policy
    • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Advertising
AsheNewsAsheNews
Home»Environment/Climate Change»Microplastics in drinking water don’t threaten human health
Environment/Climate Change

Microplastics in drinking water don’t threaten human health

Abdallah el-KurebeBy Abdallah el-KurebeAugust 25, 2019No Comments3 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

A new report finds no evidence of a current danger from microplastics, but the WHO urges further research.

By Ashley P. Taylor

The minuscule bits of plastic invisibly bobbing around in drinking water do not pose a threat to human health, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) assessment published August 21.

Microplastics are those anywhere in size from 100 nanometers to 5 millimeters wide—though there’s no official definition.

According to the WHO report, the plastic particles get into drinking water through run-off and wastewater effluent, and those found in bottled water may have something to do with the bottling process, Reuters reports.

Scientists and consumers have been concerned that chemicals found in plastics or pathogens might make their way into the body via microplastics and cause damage, as The Guardian reports. Yet that fear is not backed by science, according to the report.

“Just because we’re ingesting them doesn’t mean we have a risk to human health,” Bruce Gordon, WHO’s coordinator of water, sanitation, and hygiene, tells the Associated Press. “The main conclusion is, I think, if you are a consumer drinking bottled water or tap water, you shouldn’t necessarily be concerned.”

“Based on the limited evidence available, chemicals and microbial pathogens associated with microplastics in drinking water pose a low concern for human health. Although there is insufficient information to draw firm conclusions on the toxicity of nanoparticles, no reliable information suggests it is a concern,” the report states.

The UN has called for more research into microplastics and their potential health effects, The Guardian reports.

Although he agrees that there’s no current cause for alarm, Andrew Mayes, a senior lecturer in chemistry at the University of East Anglia in the UK who didn’t participate in the WHO report, also warns against complacency. “Even if we stop (adding) plastic to the environment right now, microplastics will increase as larger pieces divide into smaller and smaller pieces,” Mayes tells the AP.

Further, we are adding plastic to the environment: Its production has been increasing exponentially and is expected to double again by 2025, according to the report.

As it calls for more research, the WHO does not recommend investing effort in monitoring for microplastics in drinking water because resources would be better spent removing pathogens, a proven risk, The Guardian reports.

Gordon agrees, as he tells the AP, mentioning typhoid and cholera. “These are things that cause immediate illness and can kill a million people,” he says.

The same processes that treat wastewater and drinking water also remove many microplastics, according to a WHO press release, meaning that it is possible to make progress toward both goals—microplastics and pathogen removal—at once.

Taylor is a New York–based freelance reporter. Follow her on Twitter @crenshawseeds and read her work at ashleyptaylor.com.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
Abdallah el-Kurebe
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Related Posts

World Heart Day: FG unveils cardiac emergency response devices

September 29, 2023

WHO releases $16m to tackle cholera, says Director-General

September 29, 2023

Osinbajo appointed Africa’s climate action chairperson

September 27, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Kano gov appoints 116 additional aides

September 29, 2023

Demolition: Court orders Kano govt to pay N30bn compensation to Eid shop owners

September 29, 2023

Ex-Kwara commissioner explains EFCC invitation

September 29, 2023

CSOs tasks govt on strategies to fund humanitarian services in northeast

September 29, 2023
About Us
About Us

ASHENEWS (AsheNewsDaily.com), published by PenPlus Online Media Publishers, is an independent online newspaper. We report development news, especially on Agriculture, Science, Health and Environment as they affect the under-reported rural and urban poor.

We also conduct investigations, especially in the areas of ASHE, as well as other general interests, including corruption, human rights, illicit financial flows, and politics.

Contact Info:
  • 1st floor, Dogon Daji House, No. 5, Maiduguri Road, Sokoto
  • +234(0)7031140009
  • ashenewsdaily@gmail.com
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
© 2023 All Right Reserved. AHSE NEWS Daily. Designed by DeedsTech.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.