Today’s Guest:
Paul Dowding, Owner of Water Pros is with us to discuss microplastics in our water. Paul says call now for your free in home water test! Here is some of the information we discussed. A 2023 survey of Colorado rivers and streams found microplastics in 100% of sources sampled. This is extremely concerning, considering many of these sources make their way to reservoirs where Coloradans get their drinking water. But what, exactly, are microplastics, and why are they harmful?

What Are the Microplastics in Colorado Water?
Microplastics are so-named because they are pieces of plastic that are often difficult to detect with the naked eye (5 mm or under in diameter). Unlike other materials, it can take plastic hundreds of years to fully degrade. Throughout this time, it continually breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. These pieces linger for generations in our seas and other water sources. It is estimated that around 5.25 trillion tons of microplastics are currently floating on the surface of our oceans.

How Do Microplastics Get into Water?
Microplastics are so small that they can be transported by storms and strong winds from where they originally broke down (usually in landfills). The majority of microplastics come from single use plastics. These are items meant to be used once and then thrown away (i.e. straws and non-reusable water bottles).

What Do Microplastics Do to the Body?
Much of the buzz surrounding the negative effects of microplastics has centered around marine life, and rightly so. With trillions of tons of these plastics in the oceans, they have been detected in the bodies of nearly every species of sea animal, even plankton. Animals who ingest the microplastics experience a wide array of negative health effects.

Paul offers a free in home water test call today! 303-862-5554, www.WaterPros.net.

Don’t miss an episode of Water Talk! Paul Dowding is well known as “Paul the Waterman”, and he’s Colorado’s expert on all things related to the water we use and drink in our homes. Tune in to Water Talk every Friday at Noon – 1PM on 560AM KLZ!

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