Boiling Water—Back to Basics, but Vital in Our Daily Lives
Did you know boiling water can protect your health long-term?
What other simple solutions could you apply to improve your surroundings and well-being?
What role can your knowledge play in building a healthier world?
Discover how a daily action like boiling water can make a huge difference for your health and the planet’s sustainability.
We invite you to log into your student section to access the AIU Additional Resources Library and discover more resources.
Boiling Water—Back to Basics, but Vital in Our Daily Lives
It’s a fact—microplastics are everywhere, even in the water we drink. We’ve previously discussed how microplastics have become an invisible threat in our lives, and today we explore how we can counter their presence through a vital daily activity.
What if a simple act—one used by our grandparents—could help remove microplastics from the water we drink?
The study “Drinking Boiled Tap Water Reduces Human Intake of Nanoplastics and Microplastics”, published by a team from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University in China, shows how one of the simplest daily habits—boiling water for just 5 minutes—can remove most of the small plastic particles found in tap water, whose effects on human health remain uncertain.
What’s powerful about this discovery is not just the simplicity of the solution—it’s a wake-up call about the level of contamination we live in, often ingesting plastic without realizing it.
The Microplastics Crisis
Microplastics and nanoplastics (NMPs) are widely present in today’s environment. They’re found in bottled water, tap water, air, soil, and food. These synthetic particles originate from the breakdown of larger plastics or are manufactured at nano scale for industrial use. With thousands of plastic particles ingested by humans each year, scientific concern is growing over their potential impact on health, including changes in the gut microbiome and increased antibiotic resistance.
Tiny fragments of microplastics are making their way deep inside our bodies. (pcess609/Canva)
Although water treatment plants do a good job purifying drinking water, they are not effective at filtering out the smallest particles. These ultimately end up in the air, water, and eventually, our bodies.
The first step is realizing that this is a reality affecting all of us—only then can we seek practical solutions to reduce this widespread threat. That’s why discoveries like this—showing that simply boiling water helps—are so significant for humanity.
GRAPHIC: N. CARY/SCIENCE
The Study: Simple Steps, Powerful Results
In their innovative research, scientists added known concentrations of microplastics and nanoplastics to samples of both soft and hard tap water. After boiling and filtering the water, they found that up to 90% of the particles were removed—especially in hard water, which contains higher levels of minerals like calcium carbonate.
How does it work?
When hard water is boiled, calcium carbonate precipitates out and forms limescale—the chalky buildup often seen in kettles. As the limescale forms, it attracts and traps microplastic particles, which can then be filtered out with something as simple as a tea strainer.
This simple boiling water strategy can ‘decontaminate’ NMPs from household tap water. (Yu et al., Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2024)
This natural process mimics how minerals interact with synthetic particles in a dynamic system, offering a no-cost, low-tech filtration method that’s accessible to most households worldwide.
Even in soft water, which has fewer dissolved minerals, the boiling method was able to capture about 25% of plastic contaminants. While less efficient, it still represents a meaningful reduction in exposure.
Extra microplastics were added to determine the effectiveness of the boiling and filtering process.
(Yu et al., Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2024)
How Does This Affect Public Health?
Returning to something as basic as boiling water provides added safety in our homes—especially in areas with limited access to advanced filtration systems. Although boiling is a common practice in many parts of the world, doing so now guarantees both microbial and microplastic safety.
This common yet effective action can become a modern health solution backed by scientific evidence.
It’s Time for Change
We must remain alert to how human activity affects the ecosystem and contributes to environmental degradation. The growing presence of plastic waste demands both large-scale policy responses and individual actions.
As consumers, we have the duty and the right to be responsible for what we consume—and to demand better practices from companies. Not everything is justified in the name of production.
We also carry the responsibility of understanding the lifecycle of a product—from its manufacturing to its disposal—so we can make choices that minimize impact on the planet.
Let’s reflect and encourage our families, friends, and communities to reevaluate current consumption patterns. The big question is: What are we doing, and what can we change to reduce pollution and support the global effort to reduce plastic waste?
If you’re wondering where to start, reviewing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, especially Goals 11 through 15, is a valuable step toward understanding how to live more sustainably.
The Value of Research
In this case, researchers combined multiple disciplines—chemistry, materials science, and environmental engineering—to propose a practical and replicable solution to a global problem.
Their goal was to find a method that allows everyday people around the world to be part of the solution without needing to buy anything extra to do it.
As the study shows, expensive equipment or advanced degrees aren’t necessary to create impact—just awareness, understanding, and the willingness to adapt.
This isn’t the first time science has revealed simple ways to fight environmental dangers:
- Banana peels to absorb heavy metals – Ground banana peels can remove lead and copper from polluted water.
- Moringa seeds as coagulants – Used in parts of Africa and Asia to clarify river water naturally.
- Graphene-based filters – A new class of nanomaterials capable of filtering salt and microscopic contaminants, though less accessible for now.
Each of these solutions shares a common thread: sustainable, low-cost materials used through practical science to create healthier environments.
As we become more aware of how our environment affects our bodies, our responsibility—and opportunity—to protect ourselves grows. In this case, the solution doesn’t require complex technology or costly interventions. It just takes a pot of water, a stove, and a little curiosity.
If this topic inspires you and you want to explore more about water sustainability, environmental health, or applied science, consider studying Environmental Science, Public Health, or Chemical Engineering. Atlantic International University offers flexible and innovative programs to help you transform knowledge into real-world impact.
Related Resources
To further explore this topic, students can examine the following:
Microplastics: The Unseen Threat Within Us
Microplastics in Our Ecosystems: Understanding the Impact and Solutions
Microplastics in Drinking Water: Current Knowledge, Quality Assurance and Future Directions.
Boiling Reduces Microplastics in Drinking Water (Study)
Microplastics: The What, Where, Why And Impact. Video
Evaluation of Neurotoxicity in BALB/c Mice following Chronic Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics.
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