Drinking water is one of the primary sources of microplastic exposure in humans. However, the extent to which microplastics in drinking water contribute to overall human health remains unclear. The aim of this work is to assess the characteristics of microplastic contamination in bottled and tap water, explore and explain the geographical distribution of the selected studies, evaluate the extent of human exposure to microplastics, and suggest areas for future research. Based on the latest literature from 2018 to 2023 (n = 66), we quantified the constituent profiles of microplastics in drinking water and explored their global distribution heterogeneity. The outcomes showed that microplastics in drinking water mainly comprised polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Notably, small-sized microplastic fractions (<300 μm) dominated all microplastics, often in the form of fragments and fibers. The average microplastic abundance in tap water was 62.38 particles/L, whereas in bottled water, it was 38.45 particles/L. The abundance of microplastics in drinking water varied globally from 0.0007 particles/L to 6,292 particles/L in Germany. Therefore, common consumers are estimated to ingest 175 particles/capita/day through drinking water. As expected, this review systematically provides scientific evidence for further high-quality research using standardized methods to increase the knowledge of microplastic exposure to humans through drinking water.

中文翻译：

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了解人类通过饮用水接触微塑料的见解：科学现状


饮用水是人类接触微塑料的主要来源之一。然而，饮用水中的微塑料对人类整体健康的贡献程度仍不清楚。这项工作的目的是评估瓶装水和自来水中微塑料污染的特征，探索和解释所选研究的地理分布，评估人类接触微塑料的程度，并提出未来研究的领域。根据 2018 年至 2023 年的最新文献 （n = 66），我们量化了饮用水中微塑料的组成概况，并探讨了它们的全球分布异质性。结果表明，饮用水中的微塑料主要由聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯、聚乙烯和聚丙烯组成。值得注意的是，小尺寸的微塑料部分 （<300 μm） 在所有微塑料中占主导地位，通常以碎片和纤维的形式存在。自来水中的平均微塑料丰度为 62.38 个颗粒/升，而瓶装水中为 38.45 个颗粒/升。全球饮用水中微塑料的丰度从 0.0007 个颗粒/L 到 6,292 个/L 不等。因此，据估计，普通消费者通过饮用水摄入 175 个颗粒/人/天。正如预期的那样，本综述系统地为进一步的高质量研究提供了科学证据，使用标准化方法增加了对人类通过饮用水接触微塑料的了解。