SynthesisPloS one2020
Microplastic contamination of drinking water: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
76 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review of potential developmental and reproductive toxicity of microplastics.Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology · 2025Pooled it
- Atomistic-Level Insights into the Role of Mutations in the Engineering of PET Hydrolases: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Mapping Microplastics in Humans: Analysis of Polymer Types, and Shapes in Food and Drinking Water-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Microplastic Contamination of Seafood Intended for Human Consumption: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Environmental health perspectives · 2020Pooled it
- Evidence on microplastic exposure and respiratory health outcomes: a systematic review.Therapeutic advances in respiratory diseasePooled it
- Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Environment: Analytical Approaches, Environmental Fate, Life Cycle, and Remediation Strategies-A Scoping Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Dietary Microplastic Exposure in Athletes: Implications for Metabolism, Gut Health, and Performance.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Dietary microplastic exposure and lip-oral cavity cancer: a global ecological analysis with pre-specified spatial econometric sensitivity.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Influence of temperature and storage time on microplastic release from packaged sausages.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Review
- The "plastic spine" phenotype and the spine exposome: emerging links between micro- and nanoplastics and spinal disorders.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Ecotoxicological Impacts of Microplastics and Cadmium Pollution on Wheat Seedlings.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Osteoimmunological impacts of micro/nanoplastics: systemic translocation, inflammatory responses, and bone remodeling disruption.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Article
- Microplastic-Mediated Delivery of Di-butyl Phthalate AltersMicroplastics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Microplastics' Impact on the Development of AOM/DSS-Induced Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer in Mice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- A Systematic Review of Microplastic Contamination in Tuna Species: General Pathways into the Food Chain with Ecotoxicological and Human Health Perspectives.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Microplastics and the Rising Tide of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Exploring the Environmental Gut Connection.ANZ journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Chronic Waterborne Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics Induces Kupffer Cell Polarization Imbalance and Hepatic Lipid Accumulation.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025Article
16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMicroplastics (MPs) are omnipresent in the environment, including the human food chain; a likely important contributor to human exposure is drinking water.
objectiveTo undertake a systematic review of MP contamination of drinking water and estimate quantitative exposures.
methodsThe protocol for the systematic review employed has been published in PROSPERO (PROSPERO 2019, Registration number: CRD42019145290). MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched from launch to the 3rd of June 2020, selecting studies that used procedural blank samples and a validated method for particle composition analysis. Studies were reviewed within a narrative analysis. A bespoke risk of bias (RoB) assessment tool was used.
results12 studies were included in the review: six of tap water (TW) and six of bottled water (BW). Meta-analysis was not appropriate due to high statistical heterogeneity (I2>95%). Seven studies were rated low RoB and all confirmed MP contamination of drinking water. The most common polymers identified in samples were polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP), Methodological variability was observed throughout the experimental protocols. For example, the minimum size of particles extracted and analysed, which varied from 1 to 100 μm, was seen to be critical in the data reported. The maximum reported MP contamination was 628 MPs/L for TW and 4889 MPs/L for BW, detected in European samples. Based on typical consumption data, this may be extrapolated to a maximum yearly human adult uptake of 458,000 MPs for TW and 3,569,000 MPs for BW.
conclusionsThis is the first systematic review that appraises the quality of existing evidence on MP contamination of drinking water and estimates human exposures. The precautionary principle should be adopted to address concerns on possible human health effects from consumption of MPs. Future research should aim to standardise experimental protocols to aid comparison and elevate quality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.