Microplastic drinking water pollution impacts and detection methods: a literature review

Abstract

Microplastics, defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, have become a growing source of public concern due to their environmental persistence and potential health impacts, including associations with endocrine disruption and other adverse health effects such as cancer. This literature review investigates the prevalence of microplastics in residential tap water and evaluates current and emerging detection methods. This study synthesized the recent literature to assess the global prevalence and impact of microplastics in residential drinking water, and to evaluate standard detection methods such as Raman spectroscopy and FTIR. Novel techniques such as agglomeration and fluorescent dye tagging were also assessed on their potential to address the limitations of current methods, which are often resource-intensive and require specialized equipment. The study found a lack of standardized testing protocols which complicates cross-study comparisons, highlighted the need for affordable, scalable, and accessible testing technologies, and concluded that advancing detection technologies is crucial for democratizing information access. Future research should focus on enhancing the efficiency, affordability, and portability of microplastic detection methods to both enable public health intervention and address the increasing demand for actionable data on microplastic contamination in residential tap water across the globe