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Boiling tap water may be solution to microplastics (thehill.com)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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In the study, scientists put the three plastic compounds into ‘hard water’ — a common type of U.S. freshwater that contains high levels of calcium carbonate and magnesium

When the plastic-containing water was boiled, these calcium carbonates formed tiny clumps around most of the microscopic plastics, trapping them within and rendering them harmless.

The report comes with significant caveats, however.

Scientists only looked at three of the most common — and in the case of polyethylene and polypropylenes, the safest — plastic polymers. They didn’t look at vinyl chloride, for example, a compound of serious concern last month’s study found in bottled water.

Boiling also didn’t manage to remove all of the polymers.

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[–] echutaa 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Fun fact calcium carbonate dissolves quickly in acidic solutions, like say stomach acid.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 8 months ago (2 children)

You’re not supposed to drink the flocculated plastic particles. You still have to decant or filter the boiled water; this just makes it easier to remove the microplastics by increasing the particle size.

[–] echutaa 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Seems like a lot of work compared to just using an ro filter, but I also live in an area where you shouldn’t drink the tap because of the crap they put in it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

the crap they put in it.

As in actively put in??? Or as in industries or similar dumping stuff into the river or similar?

[–] echutaa 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yea they intentionally add chloramines which have a range of health issues, but it kills the biohazards so they do it to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Ah ok. Isn't that super common? Or they put very high levels where you are?

[–] echutaa 1 points 8 months ago

I think it is pretty common, they definitely push the limits on what should be used in my area. Last year I used tap run through a sediment and 2 carbon blocks to fill a small pond and the ammonia levels through that were above 10mg/l, I didn’t bother diluting to get the actual level since that’s already exceptionally toxic for anything with aquatic animals.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

Forbidden flavor crystals