Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42824618›Full record

ReviewFood chemistry: X2026

The hidden hazard in every sip: tackling microplastics in drinking water through detection and mitigation.

Sadia Younis, Syed Ali Hassan, Tehmina Naseem, Khushi Ali, Muhammad Irfan, Mueen Abbas, Muhammad Asif, Nabila Aslam, Syed Junaid Zafar, Maryam Abbasi Tarighat and 1 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Food chemistry: X, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Sadia YounisDepartment of Food Science and Engineering, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
Syed Ali HassanCollege of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China.
Tehmina NaseemNational Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
Khushi AliNational Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
Muhammad IrfanFaculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Mueen AbbasNational Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
Muhammad AsifNational Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
Nabila AslamNational Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
Syed Junaid ZafarThe Faculty of Science & Technology, Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan.
Maryam Abbasi TarighatFaculty of Nano and Bio Science and Technology, Persian Gulf University, 75169, Bushehr, Iran.
Gholamreza AbdiDepartment of Biotechnology, Persian Gulf Research Institute, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs), recognized as contaminants of emerging concern, have become global in drinking water systems, posing increasing risks to food safety, public health, and environmental sustainability. As drinking water represents a major route of human exposure, understanding the occurrence, detection, and mitigation of MPs is essential. This review comprehensively evaluates the predominant polymeric types of MPs detected in drinking water, including polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), together with their major sources and formation pathways. The review critically compares the principles, advantages, and limitations of current analytical techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), micro-FTIR (μFTIR), Raman and micro-Raman (μRaman) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), chemical imaging, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), and smartphone-based microscopy. Evidence from worldwide studies demonstrates that MPs are consistently detected in bottled, tap, and groundwater, with substantial variations in abundance, size, morphology, and polymer composition depending on water sources, treatment processes, and distribution systems. Conventional and emerging mitigation approaches, including coagulation-flocculation, membrane filtration, boiling, pulse clarification, and magnetic oxide-based composites, are also critically assessed with respect to their removal efficiencies and practical limitations. Furthermore, the review identifies key research gaps, including the lack of standardized analytical protocols, limited understanding of nanoplastics, and insufficient knowledge regarding long-term human health effects. By integrating current evidence on occurrence, analytical methodologies, health implications, and mitigation strategies, this review provides a comprehensive framework to support standardized monitoring and the development of effective approaches for improving drinking water quality and protecting human health.

Indexed as

Food contaminantsFood safetyMicroplasticsPublic healthμFTIR spectroscopyμRaman spectroscopy

Identifiers

PMID42824618
PMCPMC13628680

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.