Drinking Water: Occurrence and Removal of Micro- and Nanoplastics

The article presents literature review on the presence and nature of MNPs in drinking water and natural water used for its production, and their removal in processes used in DWTPs. MNPs of various types are present in raw drinking water reach DWTPs. The concentration) of MNPs in the freshwater supplying DWTPs can vary significantly from approximately 0 to several thousand particles/L. The most commonly shapes of these contaminants in water for drinking water production, including seawater, river water, and even groundwater are fibers, fragments, film, foam, and granules. Polymer types of MNPs found in raw waters reflected plastic production and polymer density. Studies have shown the release of MNPs into treated water during purification and transport of raw water feeding DWTPs. The research indicate that conventional/typical DWTPs treatment systems are not effective in the removal of MNPs, so they are present in tap water and bottled water, ranging from a few to several thousand particles/L. MNPs pose a new risk to human health. Exposure pathways, toxicological data and the likelihood of adverse health effects must be taken into account. Drinking water is one of the main routes of exposure to MNPs, although data on adverse effects in humans are still limited, but studies indicate toxic effects. Furthermore, the role of MNPs as carriers of other toxins, such as chemicals added to or adsorbed onto plastics, poses an-other challenge. Further research is needed in: (i) determination and characterization (size, shape, polymer composition) of MNPs in surface and groundwater as well as drinking water should become an important part of various water quality monitoring programmers, (ii) removal of MNPs by various unit processes that can be used in water treatment and development of new processes for removing MNPs, (iii) elimination of single-use plastic products, develop appropriate rules for plastic recycling, and increase efforts to develop biodegradable materials to replace plastics.