Microplastics Removal

Microplastics Removal from Water in Fort Bend County

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency researchers define them as plastic particles ranging from 5 millimeters down to 1 nanometer, and they call the smallest of them, under 1 micrometer, nanoplastics.

EPA describes two kinds. Primary microplastics are made small on purpose for use in consumer products. Secondary microplastics break down from larger plastic items, through weathering and wear. The World Health Organization notes that studies reporting microplastics in treated tap and bottled water have raised questions about possible effects on health.

Is There a Limit for Microplastics in Drinking Water?

No. There is no federal drinking water limit for microplastics. In April 2026, EPA added microplastics to its draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List as a priority contaminant group, the first time EPA has given microplastics that designation. The Contaminant Candidate List is EPA's list of contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and are not currently subject to EPA drinking water regulations. EPA says the listing opens the way to focused research and potential future regulation. When we checked in November 2026, EPA still showed the list as in progress.

There is no standard test method yet, either. EPA says there is a pressing need to develop and standardize methods to collect, extract, count and identify micro- and nanoplastics, and that no single method can characterize the full range of particles. Until those methods exist, be cautious about any test or product that quotes a precise microplastics number for your water.

What the Research Says So Far

The World Health Organization reviewed the evidence on drinking water in its 2019 report, Microplastics in drinking-water. WHO said that, based on the limited information available, microplastics in drinking water did not appear to pose a health risk at current levels, and it called urgently for more research, including standard methods for measuring particles in water and studies of how well different treatment processes remove them. WHO also noted that conventional drinking water treatment can remove particles smaller than a micrometer.

Research has continued since then, and EPA scientists are developing methods to evaluate how microplastics affect human health. The honest summary today is that the science is unsettled. We won't tell you microplastics in your water are harming you, and we won't tell you they aren't.

If you'd like to reduce them in the water you drink anyway, that is a reasonable choice, and the next sections explain how to do it with equipment that has been tested. Questions? Call 281-979-3405.

Can a Filter Reduce Microplastics?

Filtration works largely by size. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts it, as pore size gets smaller, fewer types of germs and chemicals get through the filter. Microplastics are particles, so fine filtration is the tool. Two kinds of drinking water equipment come up most often:

• Reverse osmosis. Water is pushed through a very fine membrane, with carbon and sediment stages ahead of it. Some RO systems carry a certified microplastics reduction claim.
• Filters at the tap. NSF's listings include under-sink, faucet-mount, pitcher and refrigerator filters with a certified microplastics claim. CDC notes that pitcher and refrigerator filters often use activated carbon. Not every filter of these types has the claim.

Whatever the technology, the claim is what matters. Look for "Microplastics Reduction" in the product's certification. NSF lists drinking water filters certified for microplastics reduction under NSF/ANSI 401, its standard for emerging compounds and incidental contaminants. Check the performance data sheet and the certifier's listing for that exact model. A label that says "removes microplastics" without a certification listing behind it is a marketing claim, not a test result.

Treat the Water You Drink

If microplastics in drinking water concern you, treat the water you drink and cook with. An under-sink reverse osmosis system or certified under-sink filter does that at one tap with its own faucet, and its filters are replaced on a schedule its documents set.

Our whole-home filtration is designed for chlorine and chloramine taste and odor, with a sediment pre-filter for sand, rust and grit. We don't sell it as microplastics treatment.

Our detailed quotes name the exact equipment, so you can check its certification listing for a microplastics claim before you approve anything. Call 281-979-3405 to talk it through.