“In harder water, there was a nearly 90% reduction in microplastics, because the calcium carbonate in the water became solid at higher temperatures, trapping the plastic particles within.
The researchers say that using this method alongside a simple coffee filter to remove the solidified calcium could be an easy way to remove the potentially health-damaging particles.”
The tea "pods" (rounds with sealed edges) have plastic in them, the standard paper-type tea bags are much less of an issue. many brands are going "plastic-free"
https://ceh.org/yourhealth/plastic-in-my-tea-bag/
that list is NOT UP TO DATE AND INACCURATE now.
Many of the brands on that list have made plastic-free pledges.
The plastic from tea bags is from a water-proofing process. They want the paper flavor to remain in the paper, so they treat it with a plastic based solution. You get no paper flavor in exchange for plastic replacing chunks of your DNA.
You can brew loose leaf and filter through paper coffee filters. They make absolutely tiny ones like muffin tin papers. Better tea quality loose leaf too.
So, boiling the water doesn’t remove the microplastics. But it does cover them in calcium deposits. Then if you filter the water as a second step you might remove the (now calcium coated) micro plastics.
Is that right? If it is then the headline is wildly misleading IMHO.
Lol then what’s the point of tap water if we have to boil everything? What about juice and coffee and anything else we drink, it also has microplastics. So should we just boil everything now I guess?
I swear this all just bullshit to keep people from freaking out entirely.
We've returned to the 15th century. Start drinking beer and boiled water. Maybe turn on "Dr. Strangelove or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb".
Gen Jack D. Ripper : "On no account will a commie ever drink water, and not without good reason."
This process could potentially be used at the water treatment plants to remove plastic from water. There’s probably even better ways now that we know what high temperature calcium carbonate can do.
Well, you'd actually youd have to start filtering the water. Which can be costly for a family. I don't cook or drink any water havent filtered.
Not that if I'm really thirsty, I wouldn't drink tap water. I'd just prefer not to. Its a chemical soup and should probably be treated further at home in any case tbh. I used to work for the city I live in. I've seen the water reports. .. its... well... polluted still. Just " acceptable " amounts of arsenic
The energy to do this for entire cities' water supplies would be MASSIVE. Especially when a very small fraction of the water is actually drank vs. showers, lawns, car washes, industrial use...
I mean, it's a thought but the cost to separate the pipes would also be super high. Two supply lines to every building in a city, plus all the bigger pipes that supply that water...
Possibly develop an in-home water cleaner that boils, filters, and stores water for home use. It would still use energy, but if it's only boiling enough water to replace what you drink I can't imagine it would use more than a home PC.
When I read an article on this a few days ago, it was 75% IIRC, and that was only with the hardest water samples. The soft water samples were 25%. The research study linked here is paywalled, but I remember being able to read it from the first article I read before. I know it's the same study because of a line in the abstract, "Drinking boiled water, an ancient tradition in some Asian countries..." and because I remember the authors' names being the same.
Anyway, it's a promising study, but this is something that should be done at water treatment plants if it works. Can't really expect people to boil all their water, forever.
True, but they might be able to develop other treatments from this. Since the plastics are binding to calcium carbonate, they might be able to do it under pressure or something. Or maybe some other catalyzing agent.
Isn’t the amount of energy it takes to boil water a fixed amount per quantity of water? So individuals in a city all boiling their water would be the same amount of energy as a city boiling it for them, right? Or am I not thinking about it correctly?
What? So it’s more responsible to let people consume plastic? Keep in mind, if you got water fountains outside, this applies to them. You shouldn’t necessarily be punished for needing water without having a place to boil it in. If we’ve evolved enough societally to provide at least on human need for free, surely we are evolved enough to make using it a step up from drinking some random puddle in the woods.
Also. Doesn’t this come a little too close to living in the wild? Having to boil any water you find before it’s safe to drink? It’s wild that a water treatment plant, meant to treat water, is now unable to do its job because it’s not ‘responsible’ to take care of people. Unless long-term consumption of micro plastics has no ill effect on people.
In a subreddit on science, this is a really weird take. I hate to use buzzwords, but this is the most neoliberal shit I’ve seen in a while. Especially because there are actual reasons this could be s problem, but the solution then involves spending more money on infrastructure (which we fucking need to), which is something that could also be seen as ‘not responsible’ by some people.
Boiling water does not remove mercury. It will only increase the levels of mercury and other contaminants as water is lost in the form of steam. Boiling water also adds to the risk of releasing certain forms of mercury into the air.
WYLD_STALLYNS | 2 years ago
Where do the microplastics go? In the air?
Administrative_Cow20 | 2 years ago
“In harder water, there was a nearly 90% reduction in microplastics, because the calcium carbonate in the water became solid at higher temperatures, trapping the plastic particles within.
The researchers say that using this method alongside a simple coffee filter to remove the solidified calcium could be an easy way to remove the potentially health-damaging particles.”
seilrelies | 2 years ago
And yet another study in this sub a while ago said that using tea filters increased levels of microplastics in your tea.
Administrative_Cow20 | 2 years ago
Teabags?
seilrelies | 2 years ago
Yes and loose leaf tea filters
Administrative_Cow20 | 2 years ago
In my area, coffee filters are paper, not plastic. The coffee filter part makes sense to me.
AlwaysUpvotesScience | 2 years ago
The tea "pods" (rounds with sealed edges) have plastic in them, the standard paper-type tea bags are much less of an issue. many brands are going "plastic-free" https://ceh.org/yourhealth/plastic-in-my-tea-bag/
that list is NOT UP TO DATE AND INACCURATE now.
Many of the brands on that list have made plastic-free pledges.
somafiend1987 | 2 years ago
The plastic from tea bags is from a water-proofing process. They want the paper flavor to remain in the paper, so they treat it with a plastic based solution. You get no paper flavor in exchange for plastic replacing chunks of your DNA.
Verygoodcheese | 2 years ago
You can brew loose leaf and filter through paper coffee filters. They make absolutely tiny ones like muffin tin papers. Better tea quality loose leaf too.
lawyers-guns-money | 2 years ago
there are so many reasons to switch to loose-leaf teas rather than just to avoid plastic. Most pre-bagged teas are total garbage.
edit: also, makes me wonder if the plastics change the flavour of the teas
send-it-psychadelic | 2 years ago
I don't know how the reason isn't obvious to you. They are talking about plastic tea bags, not the normal paper ones.
seilrelies | 2 years ago
They both contain microplastics but continue to be condescending
notacanuckskibum | 2 years ago
So, boiling the water doesn’t remove the microplastics. But it does cover them in calcium deposits. Then if you filter the water as a second step you might remove the (now calcium coated) micro plastics.
Is that right? If it is then the headline is wildly misleading IMHO.
Administrative_Cow20 | 2 years ago
The poster’s headline is misleading. Yes. The study mentioned it only worked in the hardest water.
Tronith87 | 2 years ago
Lol then what’s the point of tap water if we have to boil everything? What about juice and coffee and anything else we drink, it also has microplastics. So should we just boil everything now I guess?
I swear this all just bullshit to keep people from freaking out entirely.
somafiend1987 | 2 years ago
We've returned to the 15th century. Start drinking beer and boiled water. Maybe turn on "Dr. Strangelove or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb".
Gen Jack D. Ripper : "On no account will a commie ever drink water, and not without good reason."
jonr | 2 years ago
> Start drinking beer and boiled water
Time to lobby my government for lower taxes on beer!
John_Tacos | 2 years ago
This process could potentially be used at the water treatment plants to remove plastic from water. There’s probably even better ways now that we know what high temperature calcium carbonate can do.
Administrative_Cow20 | 2 years ago
I’d prefer water plumbed into my house vs trekking to a well and hauling back buckets…
Fair_Consequence1800 | 2 years ago
Well, you'd actually youd have to start filtering the water. Which can be costly for a family. I don't cook or drink any water havent filtered.
Not that if I'm really thirsty, I wouldn't drink tap water. I'd just prefer not to. Its a chemical soup and should probably be treated further at home in any case tbh. I used to work for the city I live in. I've seen the water reports. .. its... well... polluted still. Just " acceptable " amounts of arsenic
naughtyamoeba | 2 years ago
Except the coffee filters will contain PFAS.
tough_ledi | 2 years ago
Right so the water processing plants should be doing this then.
concentrated-amazing | 2 years ago
The energy to do this for entire cities' water supplies would be MASSIVE. Especially when a very small fraction of the water is actually drank vs. showers, lawns, car washes, industrial use...
tough_ledi | 2 years ago
That's a good point. Kind of sketchy though that this falls on individuals. Nobody has the time to be boiling all of the water that they drink.
concentrated-amazing | 2 years ago
I mean, in a perfect world, yes, this would happen at the source. But the costs involved would be really big.
coyle420 | 2 years ago
Then maybe it's time to separate potable and non-potable water in our communities
concentrated-amazing | 2 years ago
I mean, it's a thought but the cost to separate the pipes would also be super high. Two supply lines to every building in a city, plus all the bigger pipes that supply that water...
frogjg2003 | 2 years ago
You'd basically have to double the amount of infrastructure. That's not cheap. And it's not a straight 2x the cost.
RonaldTheGiraffe | 2 years ago
I don’t want microplastics on my anus when I was wash it.
rocket_beer | 2 years ago
I do
FernandoMM1220 | 2 years ago
you’re okay with plastic in your showers, lawns, car washes, and industries?
ReasonablyBadass | 2 years ago
Boiling that much water would need absurd amounts of energy.
scribbyshollow | 2 years ago
And the alternative is....just keep poisoning ourselves and the entire enviorment?
tough_ledi | 2 years ago
Right. What option do we even have?
FernandoMM1220 | 2 years ago
use solar
cannib | 2 years ago
Possibly develop an in-home water cleaner that boils, filters, and stores water for home use. It would still use energy, but if it's only boiling enough water to replace what you drink I can't imagine it would use more than a home PC.
Koolaidolio | 2 years ago
If only we divested to geothermal and gave the oil industry the finger decades ago…
ReasonablyBadass | 2 years ago
Geothermal isn't possible in most parts of the world (Yet. Maybe)
FernandoMM1220 | 2 years ago
solar provides absurd amounts of energy
Tidezen | 2 years ago
When I read an article on this a few days ago, it was 75% IIRC, and that was only with the hardest water samples. The soft water samples were 25%. The research study linked here is paywalled, but I remember being able to read it from the first article I read before. I know it's the same study because of a line in the abstract, "Drinking boiled water, an ancient tradition in some Asian countries..." and because I remember the authors' names being the same.
Anyway, it's a promising study, but this is something that should be done at water treatment plants if it works. Can't really expect people to boil all their water, forever.
Jacobsthil | 2 years ago
Boiling water already requires enough energy, boiling enough water for a whole city is not responsible.
Tidezen | 2 years ago
True, but they might be able to develop other treatments from this. Since the plastics are binding to calcium carbonate, they might be able to do it under pressure or something. Or maybe some other catalyzing agent.
profoma | 2 years ago
Isn’t the amount of energy it takes to boil water a fixed amount per quantity of water? So individuals in a city all boiling their water would be the same amount of energy as a city boiling it for them, right? Or am I not thinking about it correctly?
cannib | 2 years ago
If the city boils it for them they'll be boiling water used for all purposes including waste rather than just drinking water.
TheLyfeNoob | 2 years ago
What? So it’s more responsible to let people consume plastic? Keep in mind, if you got water fountains outside, this applies to them. You shouldn’t necessarily be punished for needing water without having a place to boil it in. If we’ve evolved enough societally to provide at least on human need for free, surely we are evolved enough to make using it a step up from drinking some random puddle in the woods.
Also. Doesn’t this come a little too close to living in the wild? Having to boil any water you find before it’s safe to drink? It’s wild that a water treatment plant, meant to treat water, is now unable to do its job because it’s not ‘responsible’ to take care of people. Unless long-term consumption of micro plastics has no ill effect on people.
In a subreddit on science, this is a really weird take. I hate to use buzzwords, but this is the most neoliberal shit I’ve seen in a while. Especially because there are actual reasons this could be s problem, but the solution then involves spending more money on infrastructure (which we fucking need to), which is something that could also be seen as ‘not responsible’ by some people.
2-timeloser2 | 2 years ago
“Water? You drink water? Like from the toilet??”
Katiari | 2 years ago
So boiling didn't actually get rid of them, they're hardened into "clumps" and need to be filtered after boiling.
1leggeddog | 2 years ago
We shouldn't have them in the first place
Confusedandreticent | 2 years ago
Study done by plastics inc. /s
Derrickmb | 2 years ago
*Boil and recapture vapors. You can’t just it up and it disappears lol.
frogjg2003 | 2 years ago
Boil and then filter the water. If you read the article, let alone the actual paper, you would see that they are not distilling water.
TheTopNacho | 2 years ago
Soo. Now they are pico plastics and can penetrate cell membranes?
IndependentOven2975 | 2 years ago
Does Brita filter help at all?
Lintobean | 2 years ago
Yes, after you boil, let cool a lil, then filter.
Low_Attention16 | 2 years ago
Why not get a coffee maker just for water then, since it boils the water and filters internally.
huntersfuntime | 2 years ago
No
iamamisicmaker473737 | 2 years ago
i knew we'd solve this quick after discovering the issue last week in the news
Spiritual-Compote-18 | 2 years ago
It's called 100% not having any in your body.
Spiritual-Compote-18 | 2 years ago
The other 10% still winds up in your body no thanks
frogjg2003 | 2 years ago
As opposed to all 100%?
Spiritual-Compote-18 | 2 years ago
10% adds up over time it's still dangerous in your body regardless.
frogjg2003 | 2 years ago
100% adds up even faster
Spiritual-Compote-18 | 2 years ago
We use plastic so much that 10% adds up to very dangerous levels. Why not have any in our body's at all
frogjg2003 | 2 years ago
This isn't a matter of putting in an extra 10%, it's reducing what's going on by 90%.
Virtual-Fig3850 | 2 years ago
Boiling water does not remove mercury. It will only increase the levels of mercury and other contaminants as water is lost in the form of steam. Boiling water also adds to the risk of releasing certain forms of mercury into the air.
brightcoconut097 | 2 years ago
Does a 5 stage RO system remove microplastics?
Confusedandreticent | 2 years ago
This is fine