Answer Man: Microplastics in local water? In the French Broad?
Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:
Question: I recently read a rather disturbing article on microplastics that are found in our air, water, and soil. These are extremely small, almost microscopic pieces of plastic coming from many items we use, including components that wear off of our automobile and truck tires. Does our water treatment plant measure and try to remove microplastics from our drinking water before it moves into the pipelines for consumption? Does the sewerage treatment plant measure levels of microplastics in the effluent that comes into their facility, and are they able to remove any of it? If so what percentage is removed and what percentage goes into the French Broad River? What are the implications of these microplastics on our health if they are ingested?