Microplastics and their smaller cousins nanoplastics have been found in every corner of our planet, but more worrying, they have also been found inside us. It’s still unclear just how damaging that might be for the human body, which is why researchers have developed a way to get them out of our water.
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00:00Microplastics and their smaller cousins, nanoplastics, have been found in every corner of our planet.
00:09But more worrying, they have also been found inside us.
00:12It's still unclear just how damaging that might be for the human body, which is why
00:16University of Missouri researchers have developed a way to get them out of our water.
00:20Their method involves adding a mildly toxic natural liquid to water containing those plastics.
00:25When mixed, it grabs upwards of 98% of all nanoscopic polystyrene beads that are present,
00:31removing them from fresh and seawater.
00:33However, that liquid then floats to the surface, where it can be filtered out alongside all
00:37of the nanoplastic particles.
00:39The researchers say this is not only a sustainable solution to the nanoplastic problem, but also
00:43a cost-effective one.
00:44They add that the same technique could be used for more than just plastics, but also
00:48other pollutants in our water, specifically forever chemicals.
00:51Columbia University environmental chemists have previously found that every liter of
00:56bottled water contains upwards of 240,000 nanoplastic particles.
01:01What's worse, nanoplastics are magnets for other harmful chemicals, like heavy metals
01:05and flame retardants, meaning this method of removing plastic from our water could also
01:09help rid our bodies of many other things we don't want inside them.