New research, from Columbia University and UC of Berkeley, shows that microplastics are chemically active when they come into contact with water, creating DNA-damaging radicals that could contribute to illnesses.
For decades, we believed that plastics are safe because they are chemically inert. That’s why they are used in food packaging and bottled water and children’s toys.
The research, published in scientific magazine Nature on 14 October 2026 , raised serious questions about the safety of plastics used in everyday life.
"As plastic fragments into smaller and smaller particles…[changing] the water that surrounds them, generating… reactive radicals that very likely contribute to biological damage that we see in animals and potentially in humans as a result of microplastic exposure," said Wei Min, a professor of chemistry at Columbia University and senior author of the research.
There are some easy steps to reduce our microplastic exposure from water.
- Ditch plastic bottled water.
- Drink filtered tap water.
- Use a plastic-free water filter like Eco Filtro or an RO (reverse osmosis) water filter.
- Boil tap water if you are not able to filter water. Boiling hard tap water and filtering out the resulting limescale (calcium carbonate) can remove up to 90% of nano- and microplastics (NMPs), according to the American Chemical Society.
- Carry a stainless steel or glass water bottle with you when you’re out and about. Refill at water stations, available at cafes, stations and airports.
Read the original research at
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11141-y