Microplastics and Water Filtration: What Filters Actually Remove

Volume I  ·  May 2026  ·  205 words

Microplastics — plastic particles smaller than 5mm, with the smallest fraction below 10 microns — are present in tap water at concentrations of 0-10 particles per liter in most municipal supplies. A 1-micron absolute-rated sediment filter or a carbon block filter with a sub-micron rating captures microplastic particles in the size range present in drinking water. Reverse osmosis membranes reject particles above approximately 0.001 microns — far smaller than any microplastic — making RO the most effective point-of-use removal technology. The APEC ROES-50 and similar RO systems remove microplastics as a secondary benefit of the membrane filtration stage. Standard carbon pitchers (Brita) with a mesh filter rated at approximately 80-100 microns do not capture the smaller microplastic fraction, though they may capture larger visible particles. The health significance of microplastic ingestion through drinking water is an active area of research without a current regulatory standard; water filtration for microplastics is a precautionary measure rather than a response to an established health threshold.