By WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) will release its maiden report on the presence of microplastics in drinking water on August 22, 2019.
Microplastics are the tiniest of all plastics produced although there is no standard and consensus definition of them, as of now. The European Chemical Agency defines them as very small (typically smaller than five millimeters) solid particles composed of mixtures of polymers (the primary components of plastics) and functional additives.
The WHO claims that this report is “the first effort to examine the potential human health risks associated with exposure to microplastics in the environment”.
Several other studies have established the presence of microplastics in drinking water prior to the WHO’s report but in fragmented settings. Many of these studies spurred the demand for more comprehensive research not just on microplastics in drinking water but their impact on human health due to their intake via drinking water and hence, the WHO decided to undertake the review. Read more>>
