Warning over level of plastic in tap water

PARIS - People may be ingesting between 3,000 and 4,000 microparticles of plastic from tap water every year, said a study on Wednesday based on samples from 14 countries.

While the health risks are unknown, the researchers pointed to previous findings that plastic particles can absorb, and release, potentially harmful chemicals and bacteria.

For the survey, 159 tap water samples were analyzed of which "83 percent were found to contain plastic particles", researchers from the University of Minnesota and the State University of New York wrote in a report entitled: "Invisibles: The plastic inside us".