AquaTru | Microplastics in Your Water: What You Need to Know (And Why It Matters)

Hydration has long been synonymous with health. It’s the baseline of nearly every wellness recommendation, with many people aiming to drink at least 8 cups of water a day. However, in recent years, researchers have discovered this deeply unsettling statistic about the very water we drink everyday:

Up to 83% of tap water worldwide has been found to contain tiny fragments of plastic, called microplastics.¹

In this blog, we’ll explore what microplastics are, how they enter our water supply, the potential health risks, and what we can do to reduce long-term exposure.

What are Microplastics?

Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than five millimeters. They are not intentionally created as pollutants. Instead, they form when larger plastic materials break down over time.

They often fall into two categories:

Primary microplastics: manufactured small particles, such as microbeads used in skincare and toothpaste products
Secondary microplastics: fragments created when larger plastics like bottles, packaging, and synthetic textiles break down

Unlike natural materials, plastic does not fully biodegrade. Instead, it slowly fragments into increasingly smaller particles that remain in the environment for decades.

Health Effects of Ingesting Microplastics

Research on microplastics is still developing, but early findings suggest they don’t simply pass through the body without effect. Because of their small size, some particles may interact with the gut lining and trigger stress responses in the body.

Studies show long-term exposure to microplastics can lead to:

Gut inflammation
Hormone disruption
Liver damage
Immune system dysregulation
Oxidative stress
Cognitive impairments

Why Are Microplastics Everywhere?

Once released, these particles spread far beyond their original source. Wind can carry them through the air, rain washes them into rivers, and waterways transport them across regions and oceans.

This is compounded by the sheer volume of plastic waste still in circulation. Only about 9% of plastic is ever recycled², meaning the vast majority ends up in landfills, oceans, and natural environments. Over time, this plastic does not disappear; it gradually breaks down into smaller and smaller fragments that persist in the environment, ultimately making their way into our drinking water sources.

A Hidden Source of Microplastics

One of the most common sources of microplastics exposure is bottled water.

For many people, bottled water feels like the safer choice. It’s convenient, widely available, and often marketed as cleaner than tap water. However, multiple studies over the past several years have proved that’s not entirely true.

Multiple studies have found that more than 90% of bottled water brands contain microplastics.³ In some cases, concentrations reach as high as 240,000 plastic particles per liter.⁴ What’s more, new research finds bottled water may contain 100 times more plastic particles than previously thought.⁵

So why are there microplastics in bottled water?

Microplastics in bottled water can come from multiple sources. Many bottled waters are drawn from natural water systems such as springs, rivers, or groundwater that may already contain microplastics from environmental pollution.

Additional exposure can also occur through the packaging itself, as plastic bottles and caps may release microscopic particles over time, especially during storage and transport.

As Dr. Corey Hébert, MD, a board-certified physician stated:

“If you’re drinking bottled water every day, you are exposing yourself to microplastics which can get into our circulatory system, cross the blood-brain barrier, accumulate in vital organs, and block cellular processes. This can lead to various health issues including cardiovascular disease.”

Microplastics in Tap Water

Research shows that tap water itself is also a significant source of exposure of microplastics. As mentioned above, up to 83% of tap water worldwide has been found to contain microplastics.

Tap water is typically sourced from rivers, lakes, and groundwater systems, many of which already contain microplastics due to environmental pollution. As plastic waste breaks down in the environment, rainfall and runoff carry these particles into the same water sources used for municipal supply.

Water treatment systems are designed to remove many contaminants, but microplastics are extremely small. This means that they are not always fully filtered out and can remain in the final drinking water that comes out of our tap.

Microplastics in Tea

Because tea is brewed directly with hot tap water, any microplastics already present in the water can carry through into the final cup.

Studies have found that some tea bags can release between 8 million and 1.2 billion microplastic and nanoplastic particles per milliliter of boiling water, depending on the material used.⁶ In some cases, a single cup of tea has been estimated to contain up to 11 billion microplastic particles.⁷

Because these particles are extremely small, they remain suspended in the liquid and are consumed along with the water itself, adding another layer to everyday exposure through routine hydration habits.

AquaTru: Your First Line of Defense Against Microplastics in Water

If microplastics are already present in tap water, and can also be introduced through bottled water and everyday use, what can you do to reduce exposure?

One of the most effective steps is upgrading your home’s water filtration system.

AquaTru’s reverse osmosis water purifiers are tested and certified to NSF standard by IAPMO to reduce a wide range of contaminants, including lead, arsenic, PFAS (PFOA/PFOS), fluoride, chromium-6, chlorine, and microplastics from your tap water.

Unlike standard filters that primarily improve taste or odor, AquaTru uses a powerful 3-stage purification system engineered for deeper filtration:

Pre-Filter: captures larger particles like sediment and dust
Reverse Osmosis Membrane: removes up to 99% of many common contaminants, including microplastics, PFAS, and heavy metals
Premium/Carbon VOC Filter: helps reduce chemicals, odors, and residual impurities for cleaner, better-tasting water

In fact, in a recent survey, 98% of customers said they trust AquaTru to protect their health knowing it removes 84 harmful contaminants from tap water — including microplastics.

From that same survey, 95% of customers said their coffee and tea taste better with AquaTru water.

Remember, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s reducing what you’re exposed to every single day, in something as prevalent as the water you drink.

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Microplastics in Your Water: What You Need to Know (And Why It Matters)