UK legal limit: Not currently regulated. Find out what microplastics is, its health effects, and how to check and reduce it in your tap water.
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Microplastics are particles of plastic less than 5 mm in size — including fibres, fragments, beads, and films. They have been detected in drinking water sources worldwide, including UK tap water. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals have detected microplastics in the vast majority of tap water samples tested globally. In the UK, studies by Orb Media and subsequent research have confirmed the presence of microplastic fibres in UK tap water, though at lower concentrations than in some other countries.
Unlike most water quality parameters covered by this site, microplastics are not currently regulated in UK drinking water legislation. There is no legal limit, no routine monitoring requirement, and no standard treatment protocol specifically targeting microplastics. This is primarily because the analytical methods for measuring microplastics in water are still being standardised, and because the health evidence is still developing.
Microplastics enter water supplies from multiple sources: plastic fibres from clothing shed during washing (synthetic fleeces are a major source), breakdown of larger plastic items in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, rubber from car tyres (tyre wear particles washed into waterways), microbeads from cosmetics (now banned in the UK for rinse-off products), industrial processes, and plastic components within water treatment and distribution infrastructure itself. The distribution system — plastic pipes, plastic fittings — may itself be a source of microplastics in tap water.
The honest answer is that we don't yet fully understand the health implications of microplastic ingestion. Research is ongoing. What we know: microplastics are ingested by humans via water, food, and air; they can carry absorbed chemical contaminants (pesticides, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals) on their surface; some particles are small enough to enter cells and tissues. Studies in 2024 found microplastic particles in human blood, heart tissue, and reproductive organs. Whether this causes harm, and at what dose, remains under active research by the WHO, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and public health bodies globally.
Current scientific consensus (WHO 2019 report on microplastics in drinking water) is that there is "no convincing evidence" that microplastics at concentrations found in tap water currently pose a risk to human health — but the report also called for more research and surveillance.
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Yes. Microplastic particles and fibres have been detected in UK tap water in multiple studies. Concentrations vary but are generally lower than in some other countries. Microplastics are not currently regulated in UK drinking water.
The WHO's current assessment (2019) is that there is no convincing evidence of health risk from microplastics in tap water at currently observed concentrations. Research is ongoing — health effects of long-term ingestion remain uncertain.
No. Microplastics are not currently regulated in UK drinking water legislation. There is no legal limit or mandatory monitoring requirement. Regulatory frameworks are being developed as analytical methods improve.
Reverse osmosis removes microplastics effectively — the membrane pore size (0.0001 µm) is far smaller than even the smallest microplastic particles. Ultrafiltration membranes also remove microplastics. Standard carbon jug filters do not reliably remove microplastics.
Main sources include synthetic clothing fibres released during washing, breakdown of plastic litter in rivers and reservoirs, tyre wear particles, and potentially plastic distribution pipes. Water treatment removes a proportion but not all microplastics.
If you are concerned about microplastics, an RO filter is the most effective solution — it removes virtually all particles including microplastics. The WHO's current position is that risk from tap water microplastics is not established, but acknowledges the need for more research.