Can microplastics get into your tap water from supply pipes?

What's actually in it

Your drinking water travels a long path before reaching your glass: from rivers, lakes, or groundwater through treatment plants, into massive distribution pipes, and finally through the plumbing in your home. At every stage, microplastics can enter or accumulate. PVC pipes, plastic fittings, and even biofilm buildup inside pipes can all shed or trap plastic particles.

Water treatment plants remove many contaminants, but microplastics are harder to catch because of their tiny size and varied shapes.

What the research says

A 2025 review in Water Res examined how microplastics move through water supply systems. The researchers analyzed studies on microplastic levels at each point in the supply chain: source water, treatment, distribution, and household taps.

Microplastics were found at every stage. Treatment plants removed a large percentage of particles, but not all. The distribution system (the pipes carrying water to your home) actually added new microplastics from pipe materials and biofilm. Some studies found more microplastics at the tap than at the treatment plant exit.

The types of plastic found matched common pipe materials: PVC, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Older pipe systems and those with more joints and fittings tended to contribute more particles.

A point-of-use water filter (like an under-sink or countertop filter) with a pore size small enough to catch microplastics is your best defense. Reverse osmosis systems are the most effective. Even simpler activated carbon filters can reduce larger microplastics.