Microplastics are everywhere—your clothes, food, water. And yes, inside your body, too.
And while it’s easy to feel helpless about it, some experts are putting in the work to help us make smarter choices.
One of them is Dana Zhaxylykova (@dankazh), a microplastics researcher and environmental scientist from Kazakhstan.
In a recent Instagram Reel, which has garnered more than 792,000 views, she used the viral “How I feel about certain design choices” audio to share what she really thinks about different water filters—through the lens of someone who studies this stuff for a living.
At the start of the video, Zhaxylykova mouths along to the trending sound. “How I feel about certain water filters as a microplastics researcher,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.
Then, she breaks down five common options, one by one.
Reverse osmosis (RO) filters
Her first pick is reverse osmosis—“the best in removing microplastics,” she wrote.
In the caption, she further explained that these filters are highly effective thanks to their pore size, which is around 0.0001 microns. The only downside is that they can be expensive.
According to a 2023 study that reviewed various membrane technologies, reverse osmosis is among the most effective methods for removing microplastics from water and wastewater.
As Zhaxylykova stated, however, they can be expensive, costing homeowners anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 to install.
Ceramic filters
Next up is the ceramic filter, which also gets a “yes” from her. According to Zhaxylykova, it’s a great option for home filtration and typically costs less than reverse osmosis.
But there’s a catch: They need regular maintenance to stay effective.
A paper published in the Journal of Water Process Engineering also echoes her claim, concluding that ceramic filters remove microplastics at “moderate to high rates.”
As far as maintenance goes, experts recommend cleaning the ceramic pot once a month “or when the flow rate begins to slow down.”
ZeroWater pitchers
Here’s where it gets controversial.
When it comes to ZeroWater pitchers, Zhaxylykova wrote that one study found they actually increased the amount of microplastics by 1200%. In the video, she mouths a firm “absolutely not.”
In the video’s caption, she referenced the study, which was performed by ConsumerLab.
While ZeroWater doesn’t include microplastics on the list of substances their pitcher filters remove, we did find an older blog post where the company claimed one of their faucet-mounted filters was effective at removing microplastics. However, that specific product doesn’t appear to be available for sale anymore.
A quick Google search also shows several pages that once claimed ZeroWater filters remove microplastics with 99% efficacy—but those links are now either unavailable or no longer contain that information.
They made the same claim in an Amazon product answer, HomeDepot review, Facebook comment, and more.
We’ve reached out to ZeroWater for more information on the issue.
No filter
Her take on skipping a filter altogether? “50/50.”
In some countries, the concentration of microplastics in tap water is so low that you might be fine drinking it—especially if you’re not using plastic containers. But of course, it depends on where you live.
As reported by the Guardian, the U.S. has the highest microplastics contamination levels in tap water, at 94%, followed by Lebanon and India.
The lowest water contaminations were found in Europe, in countries such as the U.K., Germany, and France, but levels were still high at 72%.
Brita pitchers
Finally, there’s the trusty Brita pitcher—a staple in many kitchens. But according to Zhaxylykova, it doesn’t do much for microplastics.
“They are not designed to remove microplastics,” she wrote. “Low removal efficiency.” That one gets a “100% no.”
The standard Brita filter used in their traditional pitcher doesn’t list “microplastics” on its performance sheet, meaning the company doesn’t claim it removes them.
However, microplastics are listed on the data sheet for the Brita Hub filter, suggesting that only that specific model is designed to reduce them.
Viewers have thoughts
Viewers had a lot to say—especially when it came to filters they didn’t know about or those they personally trust.
“I didn’t know ceramic filters were a thing! That’s very interesting,” one commenter wrote.
Another chimed in with advice. “Basically any filter in a plastic container voids the purpose of filtering microplastics,” they claimed. “Berkey, glass AquaTru, AquaBliss, reverse osmosis under the sink or counter systems are all good. Just look at what the container is made of.”
Someone else shared their experience doing deep research.
“Double-check claims. I went through three weeks’ worth of searching and data reports to find a filter that could support its filtration claim,” they wrote. “For example, here in Australia, some will have ambiguous claims but no data reports or third-party testing. We ended up using Tapp Water Filters because they had legitimate third-party analysis.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Zhaxylykova and ZeroWater via email and to Brita via contact form for comment.
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