Tap water produces a natural protective shield against harmful microplastics, which can help prevent household products such as plastic kettles from releasing them. This is according to a team of scientists from AMBER, the SFI Centre for Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research, Trinity College Dublin, and University College Dublin. The research published in the Chemical Engineering Journal reveals that tap water contains trace elements and minerals, which prevent plastics from degrading in the water and releasing microplastics. Microplastics can carry a range of contaminants such as trace metals and some potentially harmful organic chemicals. Previous studies investigating microplastics release have used forms of pure water, which only exist in laboratories and do not specifically take into account the ions and impurities found in tap water.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/