PFAS and Microplastics in Drinking Water: What They Are and How to Remove Them

PFAS and microplastics are the two most significant emerging contaminant categories in drinking water. Both have been detected in tap water supplies across the United States and Europe. Both have a growing body of research connecting exposure to potential health effects. And both are largely invisible — no taste, no color, no smell.

This guide covers what each is, how they get into drinking water, what the science currently says about health effects, and — most practically — which filtration approaches actually remove them.

Part 1: PFAS in Drinking Water

What PFAS Are

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a class of over 12,000 synthetic chemicals characterized by an extremely strong carbon-fluorine bond. This bond makes them resistant to heat, water, oil, and biological degradation — which is why they were used in non-stick coatings, food packaging, firefighting foam, stain-resistant fabrics, and waterproof outdoor gear for decades.

The same persistence that made them useful industrially means they don't break down in the environment or in the human body — hence the term "forever chemicals." PFAS bioaccumulate: levels in the body increase with continued exposure and don't decrease meaningfully over time.

How PFAS Enter Drinking Water

• Military and civilian airport AFFF (firefighting foam) contaminating groundwater near installations

• Industrial discharge from fluoropolymer and PFAS-using manufacturers

• Agricultural land treated with PFAS-containing biosolids (sewage sludge used as fertilizer)

• Landfill leachate from PFAS-containing consumer products

• Legacy contamination from decades of use persisting in groundwater aquifers

How Common Is PFAS in US Water?

A 2023 USGS study estimated that PFAS is detectable in approximately 45% of US tap water samples — including both municipal and private well sources. The EPA's 2024 PFAS rule, which set Maximum Contaminant Levels for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion, was prompted in part by how widespread this contamination has become.

Health Effects: What the Research Shows

The EPA has classified PFOA and PFOS as likely human carcinogens. The evidence base includes:

• Cancer: Kidney and testicular cancer associations in highly exposed worker populations and communities near contamination sites

• Immune effects: Reduced antibody response to vaccines in children; immune suppression

• Thyroid disruption: Interference with thyroid hormone synthesis and transport

• Metabolic effects: Elevated LDL cholesterol; associations with obesity and insulin resistance

• Developmental toxicity: Reduced birth weight; developmental delays; reduced immune function in infants exposed in utero

• Reproductive effects: Associations with pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, and reduced fertility

It's important to note that most human evidence is epidemiological — association, not proven causation at low environmental levels. But the breadth and consistency of findings across multiple independent research groups has driven regulatory action in both the US and EU.

Part 2: Microplastics in Drinking Water

What Microplastics Are

Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters — typically defined in drinking water research as particles below 1 mm or below 100 μm. They include:

• Primary microplastics: Manufactured at small size — microbeads in personal care products (now banned in the US), industrial plastic pellets

• Secondary microplastics: Fragments from larger plastic items degrading under UV, mechanical stress, and time — plastic bottles, bags, packaging, synthetic textiles

• Nanoplastics: Particles below 1 μm — emerging research area; detectable in human blood and tissue

How Microplastics Enter Drinking Water

• Surface water contamination from plastic litter and degradation in waterways

• Atmospheric deposition (plastic particles in rain and air)

• Migration from plastic water treatment infrastructure (pipes, storage tanks)

• Migration from plastic water bottles and containers during storage

• Synthetic textile fiber release during washing — microfibers in wastewater that pass through treatment

How Common Are Microplastics in Tap Water?

A 2017 Orb Media study found microplastics in 83% of global tap water samples, with US samples among the highest. More recent research has detected microplastics in human blood, lung tissue, placenta, and breast milk — establishing systemic human exposure beyond drinking water alone.

A landmark 2024 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients with detectable microplastics and nanoplastics in arterial plaque had significantly higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death — the first major prospective clinical study to link microplastic exposure to hard cardiovascular endpoints.

Health Effects: Where the Research Stands

The microplastic health research field is younger than the PFAS field and more uncertain. Current evidence includes:

• Inflammatory effects: Microplastic particles can trigger inflammatory responses in tissue; documented in animal models and cell studies

• Chemical carrier effects: Microplastics adsorb and carry other contaminants — including PFAS, pesticides, and heavy metals — potentially increasing their bioavailability

• Endocrine disruption: Plastic particles can leach plasticizers (phthalates, bisphenols) in vivo; these have documented endocrine activity

• Cardiovascular associations: The 2024 NEJM study linking vascular microplastics to cardiovascular events is the most significant clinical finding to date

The current scientific position — from the WHO, EU EFSA, and US NIH — is that the evidence is sufficient to warrant reducing microplastic exposure where feasible, but not yet sufficient to establish firm dose-response relationships for specific health outcomes.

The Connection Between PFAS and Microplastics

PFAS and microplastics are linked in a critical way: microplastics act as carriers for PFAS compounds. PFAS molecules, with their hydrophobic fluorocarbon tails, adsorb readily onto microplastic particle surfaces. When microplastics are ingested, the PFAS they carry can desorb and be absorbed into the body at higher rates than free PFAS in water.

Filtering both simultaneously — rather than treating them as separate concerns — is therefore more protective than filtering either alone.

What Filtration Technology Removes Both?

For pitcher-format filtration, compressed carbon block is the only technology that addresses both PFAS and microplastics effectively in a single cartridge. It provides activated carbon adsorption for PFAS alongside physical sub-micron particle interception for microplastics — the same filtration matrix handling both threat categories simultaneously.

The Storage Problem: Why Pitcher Material Matters

There is a specific irony in filtering microplastics out of your tap water using a plastic pitcher: the pitcher itself can shed microplastics into the filtered water during storage. Studies on plastic food and beverage containers have documented microplastic particle release increasing with storage time, temperature, UV exposure, and physical wear.

If microplastic reduction is a goal, glass or steel storage completes the logic that filtering alone starts.

How Duryn Addresses Both PFAS and Microplastics

Duryn's GravityPlus™ compressed carbon block cartridge is designed to address both contaminant categories in a single pass:

• PFAS/PFOS: Activated carbon adsorption using EPA BAT-aligned compressed block format; tested for PFOA, PFOS, and short-chain PFAS at Eurofins and IAPMO

• Microplastics: 1–5 μm physical particle interception through the compressed carbon matrix; independently tested at Eurofins and IAPMO

The pitcher housing is borosilicate glass and medical-grade 316L stainless steel — no plastic in the water-contact path. What the filter removes, the container doesn't re-introduce. This is the complete approach to both concerns: filtration that targets them, and storage materials that don't create new exposure.

Duryn is aligned with EN 17093, NSF/ANSI 42 & 53, and NSF/ANSI 372 & 61, with ongoing independent testing at Eurofins and IAPMO. The pitcher for 2026 water quality reality.

Ready to filter both PFAS and microplastics — and store the result in glass?

Discover the Duryn One Water Filter Pitcher — compressed carbon block, borosilicate glass, stainless steel. Independently tested at Eurofins and IAPMO for PFAS, microplastics, fluoride, and more.