Plastic pollution will remain a problem for years to come but hopefully, action taken today can reduce the impact that our choices have on the planet. It was in December 2017 that the horrific impact of plastic pollution on the natural world was brought to the widescale attention of the public in a hard-hitting episode of Blue Planet.
While the year that followed saw a surge in awareness and pledges to cut plastic, 2019 has seen further action to reduce single-use plastic waste.
Microplastics in drinking water
Alarmingly though there have been mounting concerns about the impact of plastic pollution on our lives as well as the natural world. Nowhere is this more apparent than the revelation that micro-plastics have found their way into our drinking water and even the air we breathe. Plastic is literally everywhere.
In 2019 it became apparent that the problem was perhaps even worse than imagined. A study that was reported on by The Guardian in June suggested that people were consuming as much as 52,000 plastic microparticles each year the figures were higher for those who drank bottled water.
There was also the revelation that the plague of plastic had reached the world's last great wilderness, the Antarctic, travelling there through the sea and the air.
What can we do about plastic in drinking water?
We can all play our part to help reduce the amount of plastic waste that is generated. An easy way to do this is by cutting our reliance on single-use plastics by stopping buying convenience products such as bottled water.
Water is available on tap at just a fraction of the cost and without the single-use plastic waste footprint. From a point of view of protecting yourself from ingesting plastic microparticles, using a water filter is the best choice. As recently as August a report by the World Health Organisation stated that more information was needed.
While stating there is no need for imminent alarm the WHO stated that the true level of toxicity and the impact on the human body was still unknown. That is a chance many people will not be wanting to take with their health and a water filter is now the best line of defence as plastic microparticles have been found in both tap and bottled water.
Take control with a Doulton® water filter
A Doulton® water filter can remove plastic microparticles down to 0.5 microns, giving you peace of mind about what is in the water you drink. Despite the widespread news coverage of plastic pollution, 2019 also saw the revelation that plastic production is still set to double in the next 20 years.