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 ZeroCool   ( @ZeroCool@beehaw.org )  to Science · 2 years ago

Boiling tap water can remove 90 percent of microplastics

www.livescience.com

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Boiling tap water can remove 90 percent of microplastics

www.livescience.com

 ZeroCool   ( @ZeroCool@beehaw.org )  to Science · 2 years ago
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Tiny plastic particles float inside tap water, and it's still unclear how they impact our health. But boiling the water for 5 minutes could remove most of them, a new study finds. most of them
  •  frog 🐸   ( @frog@beehaw.org ) 
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    2 years ago

    I read the article. Apparently it only really works with hard water - that’s water with a high concentration of calcium carbonate. At high temperatures, the calcium carbonate becomes a solid, trapping the microplastics inside it, which is then removed from the water with a regular filter.

    •  gregorum   ( @gregorum@lemm.ee ) 
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      2 years ago

      So, the boiling doesn’t remove it at all; it pre-treats hard water, making it capable of being filtered out afterwards.

      •  melroy   ( @melroy@kbin.melroy.org ) 
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        2 years ago

        uh… it seems like it… if that is the case, the whole article is misleading at best.

        •  averyminya   ( @averyminya@beehaw.org ) 
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          11 months ago

          deleted by creator

          •  But Class War [Illinois]   ( @But_Class_War@midwest.social ) 
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            2 years ago

            gotta make the water hard too, doesn’t work without hard water

            •  Anti-Antidote   ( @anti_antidote@lemmy.zip ) 
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              2 years ago

              But I can’t even make myself hard 😭

              •  melroy   ( @melroy@kbin.melroy.org ) 
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                2 years ago

                too soon.

            •  Zworf   ( @Zworf@beehaw.org ) 
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              2 years ago

              Many regions won’t need that of course :)

      •  stevedidwhat_infosec   ( @stevedidwhat_infosec@infosec.pub ) 
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        2 years ago

        Traps it how - guessing as a gas? What the fuck are microplastics and how does clear water trap that? I’m lost as fuck

        •  Robin.Net (she/her)   ( @Robin_net@beehaw.org ) 
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          2 years ago

          “calcium carbonate in the (hard) water became solid at higher temperatures, trapping the plastic particles within”

          No gas involved. They did recommend straining the boiled water through a coffee filter and the harder the water the better.

          •  I_am_10_squirrels   ( @I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org ) 
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            2 years ago

            If I have soft water, can I add a Tums to my boiling water?

            •  intensely_human   ( @intensely_human@lemm.ee ) Banned
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              2 years ago

              Just put it in the freezer for an hour or two

        •  gregorum   ( @gregorum@lemm.ee ) 
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          2 years ago

          By causing it to be absorbed into the calcium carbonate that is in hard water

        •  chaogomu   ( @chaogomu@kbin.social ) 
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          2 years ago

          The calcium carbonate in hard water precipitates out when you boil it, i.e. it turns solid.

          Microplastics make for great nucleation points for the calcium carbonate to latch onto. So, the microplastics became super easy to filter out of the water (with some getting stuck to the bottom of the kettle in that white scale that you have to use vinegar to clean out.

        •  chaogomu   ( @chaogomu@kbin.social ) 
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          2 years ago

          The calcium carbonate in hard water precipitates out when you boil it, i.e. it turns solid.

          Microplastics make for great nucleation points for the calcium carbonate to latch onto. So, the microplastics became super easy to filter out of the water (with some getting stuck to the bottom of the kettle in that white scale that you have to use vinegar to clean out.

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