A recent World Health Organization report found there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove microplastics in drinking water pose a risk to human health at current levels. The report states microplastics are “ubiquitous in the environment and have been detected in marine water, wastewater, fresh water, food, air and drinking-water, both bottled and tap.”
Researchers at Syracuse University weighed in.
Teng Zeng is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Prof. Zeng says:
“Water quality encompasses a wide range of issues, and indeed, we are primarily concerned with pathogens and chemical contaminants in the context of public water supplies. Microplastics may not steer us away from our current drinking water treatment practice; however, it is important to keep in mind that we have not been able to fully evaluate their potential environmental risks based on existing data, as already highlighted in the WHO report.
“We need to be proactive in preventing microplastics from entering our aquatic systems, just like what we do for other anthropogenic pollutants of public health concern.”
******************
Laura Markley is a PhD student in the Civil & Engineering department at Syracuse University.
Prof. Markley says:
“Though the WHO report concludes that microplastics in drinking water may not pose a threat, there are various other routes of ingestion and exposure via air, fish, and even salt or beer, that people would be exposed to over their lifetime. The number of particles we ingest will likely increase as we continue to use plastic unsustainably and add to the growing number of microplastics in the environment, all of which pose different risks based on their polymer type or size.
“Since there are so many factors governing our exposure, it’s important we lower microplastic release where we can. WHO’s conclusions are based on current data, which is lacking in many aspects due to the infancy and complexities of the field. There have been no human health studies on microplastics, and as Teng mentioned, we know very little about the risks aside from what is extrapolated from other fields.”
To request interviews or get more information:
Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications
T 315.443.1184 M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell
The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 2nd Fl., Syracuse, NY 13202
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu
Syracuse University
A new report published by Muslim Student Life at Syracuse University, a chaplaincy within Hendricks Chapel, is increasing awareness about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Muslim college students in the United States. In collaboration with the Center for…
Sara Swenson, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the recipient of the Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. Awarded by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the Newcombe Fellowship supports…
Rebecca Ortiz is an assistant professor of advertising in the Newhouse School. Her primary areas of expertise are health communication research and campaign development and evaluation. In many states across the United States recently, the coronavirus positivity rate for people…
Danielle Smith is a professor of African American studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program. “We are witnesses of the monumental transition from the American narrative of individual racism, perpetrated…
Brooks B. Gump is the Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health in the Falk College. In an opinion piece for U.S. News & World Report, Gump writes that the best way to control the pandemic is through the tried-and-true…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
