Microplastics and Nanoplastics Occurrence and Composition in Drinking Water from Akureyri Urban Area, Iceland

Abstract

Microplastics as a potential health and environmental problem has gained increasing attention recently. Microplastics are defined as plastic pieces smaller than 5 mm in diameter, and there are many sources of such microplastics [17]. Current literature reports that microplastics are ubiquitous worldwide. While several authors report on fragments of different polymers being observed, practically in all environmental areas of marine [3, 5, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19], freshwater [1, 20] and terrestrial ecosystems [2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9]; others point out that the accumulation of micro and nanometer-sized plastic particles throughout the marine and terrestrial food webs, is posing a risk to marine and terrestrial life, and ultimately to human health [18]. Despite studies pointing out the occurrence of micro plastics in freshwater systems including surface and groundwater basins, very little is known about the occurrence of microplastics in drinking water and their implications on human health. According to WHO, men should consume 3 L and women should consume 2.2 L of beverage per day. Most of these beverages consist of tap water, or drinks derived from tap water. The risk of plastic uptake from drinking water is currently unpredictable and furthermore, these plastic particles add to the plastic potentially consumed in other sources, such as sea salt, beer, food and seafood. Recent publication indicates that drinking water, uptake through seafood, and airborne exposure are the main sources of microplastics in humans [15].