Wastewater treatment failing to capture microplastics

Conducted by researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington), the work investigated the prevalence and characteristics of microfibres (MFs) and microbeads (MBs) in water that had passed through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). 

In most cases, WWTPs were found to reduce the volume of these common microplastics. However, significant quantities of both MFs and MBs were found to persist in all cases, exposing humans to potential long-term health threats including cancer. The work is published in Science of the Total Environment.

“What our systematic literature review found is that while most wastewater treatment facilities significantly reduce microplastics loads, complete removal remains unattainable with current technologies,” said senior author Un-Jung Kim, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at UT Arlington.

“As a result, many microplastics are being reintroduced into the environment, likely transporting other residual harmful pollutants in wastewater, such as the chemicals Bisphenols, PFAS and antibiotics. These microplastics and organic pollutants would exist in trace level, but we can get exposure through simple actions like drinking water, doing laundry or watering plants, leading to potential long-term serious human health impacts such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.”