Tiny pieces of plastic are finding their way into our bodies in huge numbers, especially through our food and drinks.
In 2024, Chinese scientists found a simple and effective way to remove them from the water. The team conducted tests on soft water and hard tap water (rich in minerals).
They add nanoplastics and microplastics before boiling the liquid and then filtering out any sediment.
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“Tap water nano/microplastics (NMPs) escaping from centralized water treatment systems are of growing global concern because of the potential health risks they pose to humans through water use,” the researchers wrote in the published paper.
Watch the video below for a summary of the findings:
In some cases, up to 90% of NMP is removed through the boiling and filtration process, although the effect varies depending on the type of water.
Of course, the best part is that most people can do this with things they already have in their kitchen.
“This simple boiling water strategy can ‘purify’ NMPs in household tap water and potentially harmlessly reduce human NMP intake through drinking water,” wrote Yu Zimin, a biomedical engineer at Guangzhou Medical University, and colleagues.
Higher concentrations of NMP were removed from hard tap water samples, which naturally form scale (or calcium carbonate) when heated.
This chalky substance is commonly found in kitchen kettles because temperature changes force calcium carbonate out of solution, effectively trapping plastic fragments in the casing, creating a chalky substance on the surface of the plastic.
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“Our results show that nanoplastic precipitation efficiency increases with increasing hardness of water as it boils,” the team wrote.
“For example, 34% at 80 mg/L−1 84% and 90% at 180 and 300 mg L respectively−1 are calcium carbonate respectively. “
Even in soft water, where calcium carbonate is less dissolved, about a quarter of the NMP is captured from the water.
The researchers say any plastic fragments with lime attached to them can be removed through a simple filter, such as the stainless steel mesh used to strain tea.
Past studies have measured fragments of polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate in drinking water, which varies in the amount of tap water we consume each day.
This simple boiling water strategy can “purify” NMPs from household tap water. (Yu et al., environment. science. technology. Wright., 2024)
For a final test of the strategy, the researchers added more nanoplastic particles, and the number of these particles was effectively reduced.
“Clearly, drinking boiled water is a feasible long-term strategy to reduce global NMP exposure,” Yu and team wrote.
“However, drinking boiled water is often seen as a local tradition and is only practiced in a few areas.”
Scientists hope this may become a more widespread practice as plastic continues to take over the world.
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Tiny plastic fragments are becoming a growing problem. Microplastics originate from clothing, kitchen utensils, personal care products and countless other everyday items.
Their durability allows them to persist in the environment – including in the human body.
Humans are exposed to NMPs through drinking drinking water. (a) World map of drinking water hardness. (b) 67 districts consume NMP daily through boiled water and tap water. (Yu et al., environment. science. technology. Wright.2024)
Not only are many people on the planet already contaminated by microplastics, but we are still contaminated with microplastics every day because there is so little regulation of these insidious particles.
According to a 2025 literature review from the University of Texas at Arlington, a large portion of our exposure to microplastics may come from drinking water, as wastewater treatment plants remain ineffective at removing microplastics.
Since plastic production began, around 9 billion tons of plastic have been produced globally, much of which has gradually degraded into smaller fragments without actually breaking down, creating the fine plastic dust that now litters the planet.
The new review shows that wastewater treatment plants do in fact remove large amounts of these small particles, but not enough.
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While it’s still unclear how harmful this plastic is to our bodies, it’s certainly not the healthiest snack.
Plastics have been linked to changes in gut microbiota and antibiotic resistance in the body.
The team behind this study would like to see more research into how boiling water can keep man-made materials away from our bodies and potentially counteract some of the worrying effects of emerging microplastics.
“Our findings confirm a highly feasible strategy to reduce NMP exposure in humans and lay the foundation for further studies using larger samples,” Yu and colleagues concluded.
The study was published in environmental science and technology communications.
An earlier version of this article was published in March 2024.