Potable water boiling can induce havoc in the water quality management arena due to the presence of microplastics

Abstract

Around 30 % of the world’s population lacks access to safe water despite being a critical factor that modulates the complex dynamics of ecosystems and societies. Efficient technologies to purify water to potable form are either inaccessible or economically not viable for the majority. Water poverty and scarcity can be potentially exacerbated by the recent, widespread detection of plastics in drinking water sources, tap water and groundwater. This can induce various emerging bottle necks in global drinking water quality management. One of the most affordable disinfection techniques practiced across the world is to boil the water. Plastic pollutants in potable water sources can pose emerging water quality management bottlenecks, including leaching additives and chemicals due to water boiling. Exposure to plastic leachates in drinking water can lead to potential health risks, including oxidative stress, cancers, endocrine disruption, cardiovascular diseases, and developmental effects. The current global drinking water scenario and the emerging impacts of plastic pollutants specifically micro- and nano-plastics in drinking water, are also enlisted. Further, evidence-based prospects for drinking water quality management and impacts on one health initiative in the wake of the presence of plastics are discussed. Monitoring and surveillance, improved water treatment, and infrastructure incorporating technological innovations explicitly focusing on plastic pollutants in drinking water can ensure sustainable management and mitigation of the ill effects to a satisfactory extent. The need for firm policy instruments, partnerships between various private and public stakeholders, and the judicious use and management of potable water are contented in this article, which will steer humanity and the earth system toward achieving one health mandate and a sustainable future.