India, June 22 -- It's time for Indians to start looking at a different metric when setting up a water filtration system. The tap water in your home may no longer contain only heavy metals and harmful bacteria; it is now reported to be contaminated with microplastics. For those unaware, microplastics are plastic particles roughly 5 millimetres in size, often resulting from the slow degradation of plastic wraps, tyres, polyester clothes, and more. If ingested, these impurities can cause serious illness, including oxidative and DNA damage and changes in gene activity, thereby increasing the risk of cancer.

Looking back, a 2024 analysis by the Swiss non-profit EA Earth Action found that India could have released 391,879 tonnes of microplast...