/ /close 13 / /next / /prev / /info-button * 1 3 The average number of fibres found in each 500ml sample ranged from 4.8 in the US to 1.9 in Europe. Photograph: Michael Heim/Alamy Facebook Twitter Pinterest Share Share this post Facebook Twitter Pinterest / /close * 2 3 A magnified image of clothing microfibres from washing machine effluent. One study found that a fleece jacket can shed as many as 250,000 fibres per wash. Photograph: Courtesy of Rozalia Project Facebook Twitter Pinterest Share Share this post Facebook Twitter Pinterest / /close * 3 3 This planktonic arrow worm, Sagitta setosa, has eaten a blue plastic fibre about 3mm long. Plankton support the entire marine food chain. Photograph: Richard Kirby/Courtesy of Orb Media Facebook Twitter Pinterest Share Share this post Facebook Twitter Pinterest / /close Unlike many others, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. Support us for 4.99 € per month. Paypal and credit card Become a Supporter Close Skip to main content <#maincontent> Advertisement The Guardian - Back to home become a supporter subscribe find a job jobs * news * opinion * sport * arts * life All sections * // news o headlines o world news o UK news o science o cities o global development o tech o business o environment o obituaries * // opinion o opinion home o the guardian view o columnists o cartoons o opinion videos o letters * // sport o sport home o football o rugby union o cricket o tennis o cycling o F1 o golf o US sports * // arts o culture home o books o music o tv & radio o art & design o film o games o classical o stage * // life o lifestyle home o fashion o food o recipes o love & sex o health & fitness o home & garden o women o family o travel o money What term do you want to search? // Search with google * become a supporter * subscribe * Sign in/up * user avatar * // my account o Comment activity o Edit profile o Email preferences o Change password o Sign out * // International edition INT edition: o switch to the UK edition UK o switch to the US edition US o switch to the Australia edition AU o switch to the INT * jobs * dating * holidays * the guardian app * video * podcasts * pictures * newsletters * today's paper * the observer * digital archive * crosswords * Facebook * Twitter * jobs * dating * holidays * environment * climate change * wildlife * energy * pollution * more sign in * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out become a supporter subscribe search jobs dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International edition * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian - Back to home * home * › environment * › pollution * climate change * wildlife * energy * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment selected * tech * travel //browse allsections close <#nav-allsections> * home * UK o education o media o society o law o scotland o wales o northern ireland * world o europe o US o americas o asia o australia o africa o middle east o cities o development * sport o football o cricket o rugby union o F1 o tennis o golf o cycling o boxing o racing o rugby league * football o live scores o tables o competitions o results o fixtures o clubs * opinion o columnists o letters o editorials * culture o film o tv & radio o music o games o books o art & design o stage o classical * business o economics o banking o retail o markets o eurozone * lifestyle o food o recipes o health & fitness o love & sex o family o women o home & garden * fashion * environment selected o climate change o wildlife o energy o pollution * tech * travel o UK o europe o US * money o property o savings o pensions o borrowing o careers * science * professional networks * the observer * today's paper o obituaries o g2 o weekend o the guide o saturday review * sunday's paper o comment o the new review o observer magazine * membership * crosswords o blog o editor o quick o cryptic o prize o quiptic o genius o speedy o everyman o azed o weekend * video o podcasts * digital archive Plastics Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals *Exclusive:* Tests show billions of people globally are drinking water contaminated by plastic particles, with 83% of samples found to be polluted Woman filling a glass of water from a stainless steel or chrome tap or faucet <#img-1> The average number of fibres found in each 500ml sample ranged from 4.8 in the US to 1.9 in Europe. Photograph: Michael Heim/Alamy Plastics Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals *Exclusive:* Tests show billions of people globally are drinking water contaminated by plastic particles, with 83% of samples found to be polluted * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * View more sharing options * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Pinterest * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Share on Messenger * Close Shares 14,515 15k Comments 1,001 <#comments> Damian Carrington Environment editor @dpcarrington Wednesday 6 September 2017 00.01 BST Last modified on Wednesday 6 September 2017 01.00 BST Microplastic contamination has been found in tap water in countries around the world, leading to calls from scientists for urgent research on the implications for health. Scores of tap water samples from more than a dozen nations were analysed by scientists for an investigation by Orb Media , who shared the findings with the Guardian. Overall, 83% of the samples were contaminated with plastic fibres. The US had the highest contamination rate, at 94%, with plastic fibres found in tap water sampled at sites including Congress buildings, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters, and Trump Tower in New York. Lebanon and India had the next highest rates. European nations including the UK, Germany and France had the lowest contamination rate, but this was still 72%. The average number of fibres found in each 500ml sample ranged from 4.8 in the US to 1.9 in Europe . Plastic pollution risks 'near permanent contamination of natural environment' First global analysis of all mass–produced plastics has found humans have produced 8.3bn tonnes since the 1950s with the majority ending up in landfill or oceans Read more The new analyses indicate the ubiquitous extent of microplastic contamination in the global environment. Previous work has been largely focused on plastic pollution in the oceans, which suggests people are eating microplastics via contaminated seafood. “We have enough data from looking at wildlife, and the impacts that it’s having on wildlife, to be concerned,” said Dr Sherri Mason, a microplastic expert at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who supervised the analyses for Orb. “If it’s impacting [wildlife], then how do we think that it’s not going to somehow impact us?” A magnified image of clothing microfibres from washing machine effluent. <#img-2> Facebook Twitter Pinterest A magnified image of clothing microfibres from washing machine effluent. One study found that a fleece jacket can shed as many as 250,000 fibres per wash. Photograph: Courtesy of Rozalia Project A separate small study in the Republic of Ireland released in June also found microplastic contamination in a handful of tap water and well samples. “We don’t know what the [health] impact is and for that reason we should follow the precautionary principle and put enough effort into it now, immediately, so we can find out what the real risks are,” said Dr Anne Marie Mahon at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, who conducted the research. Mahon said there were two principal concerns: very small plastic particles and the chemicals or pathogens that microplastics can harbour. “If the fibres are there, it is possible that the nanoparticles are there too that we can’t measure,” she said. “Once they are in the nanometre range they can really penetrate a cell and that means they can penetrate organs, and that would be worrying.” The Orb analyses caught particles of more than 2.5 microns in size, 2,500 times bigger than a nanometre. Microplastics can attract bacteria found in sewage, Mahon said: “Some studies have shown there are more harmful pathogens on microplastics downstream of wastewater treatment plants.” Microplastics are also known to contain and absorb toxic chemicals and research on wild animals shows they are released in the body. Prof Richard Thompson, at Plymouth University, UK, told Orb: “It became clear very early on that the plastic would release those chemicals and that actually, the conditions in the gut would facilitate really quite rapid release.” His research has shown microplastics are found in a third of fish caught in the UK. Advertisement The scale of global microplastic contamination is only starting to become clear, with studies in Germany finding fibres and fragments in all of the 24 beer brands they tested, as well as in honey and sugar . In Paris in 2015, researchers discovered microplastic falling from the air , which they estimated deposits three to 10 tonnes of fibres on the city each year, and that it was also present in the air in people’s homes . This research led Frank Kelly, professor of environmental health at King’s College London, to tell a UK parliamentary inquiry in 2016: “If we breathe them in they could potentially deliver chemicals to the lower parts of our lungs and maybe even across into our circulation.” Having seen the Orb data, Kelly told the Guardian that research is urgently needed to determine whether ingesting plastic particles is a health risk. The new research tested 159 samples using a standard technique to eliminate contamination from other sources and was performed at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health . The samples came from across the world, including from Uganda, Ecuador and Indonesia. From sea to plate: how plastic got into our fish Eight million tonnes of waste plastic ends up in the sea each year. Fish eat it - and then we do. How bad is it for us? Read more How microplastics end up in drinking water is for now a mystery, but the atmosphere is one obvious source, with fibres shed by the everyday wear and tear of clothes and carpets. Tumble dryers are another potential source, with almost 80% of US households having dryers that usually vent to the open air. “We really think that the lakes [and other water bodies] can be contaminated by cumulative atmospheric inputs,” said Johnny Gasperi, at the University Paris-Est Créteil, who did the Paris studies. “What we observed in Paris tends to demonstrate that a huge amount of fibres are present in atmospheric fallout.” Plastic fibres may also be flushed into water systems, with a recent study finding that each cycle of a washing machine could release 700,000 fibres into the environment. Rains could also sweep up microplastic pollution, which could explain why the household wells used in Indonesia were found to be contaminated. In Beirut, Lebanon, the water supply comes from natural springs but 94% of the samples were contaminated. “This research only scratches the surface, but it seems to be a very itchy one,” said Hussam Hawwa, at the environmental consultancy Difaf , which collected samples for Orb. This planktonic arrow worm, Sagitta setosa, has eaten a blue plastic fibre about 3mm long. <#img-3> Facebook Twitter Pinterest This planktonic arrow worm, Sagitta setosa, has eaten a blue plastic fibre about 3mm long. Plankton support the entire marine food chain. Photograph: Richard Kirby/Courtesy of Orb Media Current standard water treatment systems do not filter out all of the microplastics, Mahon said: “There is nowhere really where you can say these are being trapped 100%. In terms of fibres, the diameter is 10 microns across and it would be very unusual to find that level of filtration in our drinking water systems.” Bottled water may not provide a microplastic-free alternative to tapwater, as the they were also found in a few samples of commercial bottled water tested in the US for Orb. 38 million pieces of plastic waste found on uninhabited South Pacific island Henderson Island, part of the Pitcairn group, is covered by 18 tonnes of plastic – the highest density of anthropogenic debris recorded anywhere in the world Read more Almost 300m tonnes of plastic is produced each year and, with just 20% recycled or incinerated, much of it ends up littering the air, land and sea. A report in July found 8.3bn tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s, with the researchers warning that plastic waste has become ubiquitous in the environment. “We are increasingly smothering ecosystems in plastic and I am very worried that there may be all kinds of unintended, adverse consequences that we will only find out about once it is too late,” said Prof Roland Geyer, from the University of California and Santa Barbara, who led the study. Mahon said the new tap water analyses raise a red flag, but that more work is needed to replicate the results, find the sources of contamination and evaluate the possible health impacts. She said plastics are very useful, but that management of the waste must be drastically improved: “We need plastics in our lives, but it is us that is doing the damage by discarding them in very careless ways.” Since you’re here … … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too. I appreciate there not being a paywall: it is more democratic for the media to be available for all and not a commodity to be purchased by a few. I’m happy to make a contribution so others with less means still have access to information. Thomasine F-R. If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be much more secure. Become a supporter Make a contribution Topics * Plastics * Pollution * Water * Oceans * Health * Europe * news * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Pinterest * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Share on Messenger * Reuse this content Advertisement Most popular * Hurricane Irma batters Barbuda and heads to Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico - live * Take away Aung San Suu Kyi’s Nobel peace prize. 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This app makes it possible! Want to speak a new language in just 15 hours? This app makes it possible! Babbel * The San Francisco Mansions Everyone Wants to Live In The San Francisco Mansions Everyone Wants to Live In Mansion Global * The Miami Mansions Everyone Wants to Live In The Miami Mansions Everyone Wants to Live In Mansion Global * Julia Roberts’ Secluded Ranch is Back on the Market Julia Roberts’ Secluded Ranch is Back on the Market Mansion Global * Hotel Prices You're Not Allowed to See! Hotel Prices You're Not Allowed to See! tripsinsider * Immucor to Provide CoLabs With Automated Blood Testing Tech Immucor to Provide CoLabs With Automated Blood Testing Tech 360dx.com [?] View all comments > comments (1001) Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. * Guardian Pick We need legislation to use bio degradable vegetable plastics en masse now. How about a campaign Guardian? Lead the vanguard. Jump to comment mindboggles75 2h ago 51 52 Order by newest * newest * oldest * recommendations Show 25 * 25 * 50 * 100 * All Threads collapsed * collapsed * expanded * unthreaded 1 2 3 4 … 14 next Loading comments… Trouble loading? Due to the large number of comments, they are being shown 100 per page. * hjarten 16m ago 0 1 It's not just water. A few decades ago scientists took soil samples from a number of the remotest places on the planet. Plastic was detected in every sample. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Albeebley 17m ago 0 1 Everything is poisoned, everything is rotten, it's depressing. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * death2 disko 18m ago 0 1 "waah never mind, drink beer." Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * dnlng118 19m ago 0 1 scientific and technological progress causes just as much harm as good Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Crosspen 23m ago 0 1 I despair. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * JMSAndre 24m ago 0 1 There are easy solutions for 10 micron sized particles. Membranes in water treatment (micro-, ultra-, nanofiltration or reverse osmosis) all remove particles larger than about 1 micron. Actually, for pores of reverse osmosis membranes, 10 microns are like a mountain 2x the height of Everest to us. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * houseoftheangels 25m ago 1 2 It's not as hopeless as people are saying. It is just that we lack the the will. If we stopped the activities of pollution the eco system quickly deals with pollutants. May be not quick enough by our terms, but even just a generation away the green house effect, plastic and other toxicity, even radioactive materials break down and get absorbed. Built into nature is the toughest of toughest coping mechanisms. The longer we do it the longer and harder the clean up will be. There are really two scenarios: We don't do anything and eventually lots of us will die and we will be knocked back to the stone age. Living the way we do requires a lot of people to make a Pyramid that the lucky few are raised to "blast off" top deck on. This will let nature heal without us and we will be at its mercy as we were nearly all of our evolution any how. The other is that we approach it as a world of conscious beings who can establish a technology driven GREEN REVOLUTION and GREEN ECONOMY. GREEN ECONOMY does not mean that investors can't get a return. The automobile market alone proves that revolution could guarantee a robust future automobile market. All the cars we have will need replacing. BMW could still make big profits. Maximizing profits is the problem, being too greedy. Intensive anything, especially farming, is not actually necessary unless you are maxing out totally and their will be huge consequences and losses from such behavior. China will make or break environmentalism. If China does not go along with any future world plans for environmentally sustainable human society then the game is up any way. As it stands China and most of Africa could almost bypass the car. In Ethiopia only about 8 cars exist to every 1000 people. China only has 100 million cars to their huge population. If we worked together as a whole world, in sync, to address the contamination and to jointly venture on a GREEN ECONOMY there is no doubt humanity could still prevail and continue to develop technologically. Nature does not STOP us growing. Nature GROWS. We will grow if we adopt environmentalism and sustainability universally. Shareholders do not have to lose. It is more about change and innovation. Innovation drives business constantly. If only we could see our potential, what we could become. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * WilleyWibtoft 27m ago 1 2 The average number of fibres found in each 500ml sample ranged from 4.8 in the US to 1.9 in Europe. Hurrah for Brexit and its bold attempt to get the UK up to US standards. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Cara Townsend 27m ago 0 1 The pathogen argument is a clear dead end - bacterial and viral diseases are relatively immediate, and we would have seen a result in the general population already. Really we want to be looking at long term effects rather than having the necessity of study sold to us by marketers screaming "but germs!" instead of actual feasible reasons for research. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * ThePolarBear 28m ago 0 1 That's it, got a reason now to put in the effort to bring our source water up the hill to the summer house in France. Some ground work to be done, but we'll worth it. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Tiznowthen 29m ago 0 1 Sea water evaporates into rain, plastic particles dumped into sea......Go figure Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * JJJork 29m ago 0 1 An article like this needs to quantify the contamination. How much are they talking about? Could it be from the method of sampling, are the results close to the analytical uncertainty? The study smells when it reports that basically all the drinking water sources from all over the globe is contaminated. Could the fibres be from plastic piping or joints? Why are there plastic fibres in the groundwater samples from Lebanon? Does't it ring a bell, or is that plastic 50 years old and we can expect much more in the future as todays rainwater trickles down and replenish groundwater reservoirs? It that is the case, are there studies of plastic fibres in soil samples from below a couple of feet? I don't like this article because it is a scaremonger without any real insight into what it is all about. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o MilosBull JJJork <#comment-104758162> 24m ago 1 2 I don't think you actually read the article. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * EverlastingSummer 30m ago 1 2 In the circles I move in (educated, affluent, middle-class parents), public handwringing over Brexit is completely socially acceptable, desirable even; expressing concerns about our collective behaviours with respect to the environment, not so much. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * BertieBucket 34m ago 2 3 Making 'murica great again. For such a rich country it's got a third world infrastructure. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Harry Thomason 34m ago 1 2 The problem is that people reading this are going to now think drinking tap water is bad for you and drink only bottled water. This has the potential to worsen the problem by increasing the demand for bottled water. maybe we just drink our own wee, thats what we deserve. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o Peter Martin Harry Thomason <#comment-104757853> 29m ago 0 1 Can we filter it first? Jokes aside, to some extent this will raise paranoia, especially amongst the crowd who already believe the government has put stuff in the water Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Howling 36m ago 0 1 We have ruined this planet. The sooner North Korea nukes us all the better. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * William Donelson 36m ago 1 2 By 2025 there will be 8 Billion people on earth, each wanting a high standard of living. Society will collapse as not enough food can be grown, and the sea will be too polluted and rising too high. A billion refugees will flee areas simply too hot to live. It's already too late to fix this. But don't worry, after we are gone, the earth will heal itself. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o MilosBull William Donelson <#comment-104757743> 21m ago 0 1 Nothing like a bit of optimism to get the day started. Don't worry Mars is a pristine environment, we'll be fine. By the time we f"*# that up we will be on our way to other solar systems with other pristine planets to f£$% up. Go humans. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Raleighparis 38m ago 1 2 Most supermarkets are stuffed with plastic goods. Needs legislation now to stop producers using it. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o Peter Martin Raleighparis <#comment-104757656> 36m ago 0 1 Or at the very least, using biodegradable alternatives Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * dickapocalypse 39m ago 0 1 great the new world government is trying to microchip us through our drinking water now I;ll be fine I only drink Milk Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o Peter Martin dickapocalypse <#comment-104757603> 34m ago 0 1 They'll be drugging the cows next, and then they just have to find a way to get to the non-dairy drinks... Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o dickapocalypse Peter Martin <#comment-104757868> 30m ago 0 1 cows have been off their tits on drugs for years, you can see it in their eyes. Llama milk's the way to go Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * ChrisD58 41m ago 0 1 Perhaps nationalising our water industry would give us some hope that they care as much about water quality as profit.. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o erenata ChrisD58 <#comment-104757489> 30m ago 0 1 I think you have missed the point. This crap is already polluting everything, and who owns it makes no difference as small particles cannot be removed. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * spadger 41m ago 1 2 NanoMorgellons! Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o EverlastingSummer spadger <#comment-104757458> 27m ago 0 1 Oh don't, this might push Joni over the edge. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * Dave Powell 42m ago 2 3 The problem is industrial society and our mindless race for 'growth' at any cost. Anyone think we should stop growing? No? Let's just carry on then and stop complaining about the obvious negative consequences of our choice. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o Peter Martin Dave Powell <#comment-104757441> 38m ago 1 2 Can't we grow in a sustainable fashion though? It doesn't have to be done in extremes Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report o EverlastingSummer Peter Martin <#comment-104757624> 26m ago 0 1 Can't we just shrink already? Sustainably. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * pparkinsonnew12 42m ago 0 1 I always though the recycle plastic was safe and biodegraded completely when disposed off by waste services. Are we all going to die of plastic poisoning or cancer or old age, my brother died of Cancer caused by diesel he was a diesel mechanic. Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * HIdalgo yakerson 43m ago 0 1 Check if there is affiliation with Evian :) Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report * KatePlastivist 43m ago 2 3 Great article. Pne of the many reasons Why I boycott plastic and don't wear man made fibres. Don't wait for governments to act vote with your wallet. Refuse trashy plastic. You can the 350+ #plasticfree alternatives I have sourced here www.plasticisrubbish.com Reply Share Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter | Pick Report 1 2 3 4 … 14 next / / Sorry there was an error. Please try again later. If the problem persists, please contact Userhelp Close report comment form // Reason (optional) Email (optional) Report // Sign in or create your Guardian account to recommend a comment View more comments most viewed * 1 Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals * 2 Plucky duck: highest-flying fowl's Himalayan exploits revealed * 3 Cruise ships showed contempt for customers by breaking clean air pledge, report says * 4 Better energy efficiency measures could cut UK costs by £7.5bn * 5 Upto 381 new species discovered in the Amazon – in pictures * 6 38 million pieces of plastic waste found on uninhabited South Pacific island This article is *4 months old* * 7 How to live without plastic bottles ... 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