Microplastics found in 93% of bottled water tested in global study • Hacker News Board

Re: Microplastics found in 93% of bottled water tested in global study

#381

Post by 4ntonius8lock » Tue, Oct 01, 2019, 4:37 PM UTC

mdorazio wrote: post #110

4ntonius8lock wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this something that would be removed with common cheap consumer filters? (such as Britta) I drink a lot of tap water, but always put it through a filter of some sort.

Took some poking around to piece together a real answer, but the ion exchange component in a standard Brita filter (or similar pour-through) isn't the right kind to trap chromium (mostly just zinc, copper, and cadmium). You either need a higher-grade ion exchange filter (you can search for "Chromium 6 Water Filter" on Amazon) or a reverse osmosis system.

Thanks. Reverse osmosis removes minerals, which isn't something I want. Personally (this is just my perspective) I operate under the theory we don't fully understand the human body, so don't mess with things too much, removing minerals and then selectively adding some back in is not something I think we are well informed enough to do without possible negative consequences.

I looked for Chromium 6 Water Filter and found plenty of good options. Truly thank you for the recommendation.

Re: Microplastics found in 93% of bottled water tested in global study

#382

Post by throwaway66920 » Tue, Oct 01, 2019, 6:29 PM UTC

cerebellum42 wrote: post #79

throwaway66920 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Berlin (as opposed to other areas of Germany) culturally ok with drinking tap water?

I'd say all of Germany is culturally very much ok with drinking tap water, Berlin not much more or less than other regions. People who drink bottled water here don't usually do it because they think it's "better" than tap water, it's either because of convenience when you're not home or because they like carbonated water (which is very popular in Germany).

I’m no expert in Germany but found it very difficult to get tap water at any restaurants there.

Re: Microplastics found in 93% of bottled water tested in global study

#383

Post by Kip-Kasper » Tue, Oct 01, 2019, 7:29 PM UTC

I see some comments weighing the pros & cons of drinking bottled vs tap water

Bottled water has the most microplastics, 1000x cost, and the higher environmental impact (one can assume)

Tap water has half the microplastics and it's cheaper but it's also running through pipes that introduce lead into it

But what about just collecting rainwater and purifying it?

Update: It's in the rainwater too https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/microplastics-rainwa...