Government report World Health Organization

Microplastics in Drinking-Water

Cited in 3 Likelier entries (3 risks, 0 decisions).

Used in 3 entries

For each citing entry, the verbatim excerpt and Likelier's calculation notes (how the source's number was converted to the lifetime-probability framing) are shown below. Click through to read the full claim ledger.

[1] Microplastics Risk

Statistic: No reliable evidence that microplastics in drinking water at current exposure levels pose a risk to human health

“"Based on the limited information we have, microplastics in drinking water don't appear to pose a health risk at current levels. But we need to find out more."”

Calculation notes

WHO reviewed all available evidence on microplastic occurrence in drinking water (tap and bottled) and assessed potential health impacts from ingestion. The report concluded that particles larger than 150 micrometres are unlikely to be absorbed, uptake of smaller particles is expected to be limited, and no epidemiological data link drinking-water microplastic exposure to adverse health outcomes. WHO called for more research but did not identify a quantifiable risk, supporting the no_reliable_estimate classification.

Independence note: WHO review synthesised global evidence independently of the Marfella, Leslie, and EFSA analyses cited below.

Source date: 2019-08-22 · Accessed: 2026-04-18

[2] Cutting board microplastics Risk

Statistic: No reliable evidence that microplastic exposure at current ingestion levels poses a measurable risk to human health; particles larger than 150 micrometres unlikely to be absorbed from the gut

“"Based on the limited information we have, microplastics in drinking water don't appear to pose a health risk at current levels. But we need to find out more."”

Calculation notes

WHO's 2019 review synthesised global evidence on microplastic ingestion and human health. Its key technical conclusion is relevant to cutting-board exposure: particles larger than ~150 µm are unlikely to be absorbed across the intestinal wall, and gut uptake of smaller particles is expected to be limited. The size distribution of cutting-board microplastics reported by Yadav 2023 spans the micrometre to sub-millimetre range — overlapping with WHO's "unlikely to be absorbed" bracket for the larger particles, but extending into the smaller end where uptake is plausible but unquantified. WHO did not identify a quantifiable population-level risk from any current microplastic ingestion source, supporting the no_reliable_estimate classification.

Independence note: WHO global review independent of EFSA process and individual primary studies.

Source date: 2019-08-22 · Accessed: 2026-05-24

[3] Tea-bag microplastics Risk

Statistic: No reliable evidence that microplastic exposure at current ingestion levels poses a measurable risk to human health; particles larger than 150 micrometres unlikely to be absorbed from the gut

“"Based on the limited information we have, microplastics in drinking water don't appear to pose a health risk at current levels. But we need to find out more."”

Calculation notes

WHO's 2019 review synthesised global evidence on microplastic ingestion and human health. Its key technical conclusion applies directly to tea-bag exposure: particles larger than ~150 µm are unlikely to be absorbed across the intestinal wall, and gut uptake of smaller particles is expected to be limited. Tea-bag nanoplastics (Hernandez and Banaei both report sub-micron particles) fall well below that threshold, into the size range where uptake is plausible but unquantified at the population level. WHO did not identify a quantifiable population-level risk from any current microplastic ingestion source, supporting the no_reliable_estimate classification.

Independence note: WHO global review independent of EFSA process and individual primary studies.

Source date: 2019-08-22 · Accessed: 2026-05-24

Also cited in these entries

HealthDirect