ZAGREB, 16 July (Hina) – Low concentrations of microplastics have been detected in Croatia’s drinking water, with an average of 0.144 particles of priority polymers per litre, the Institute for Water Management “Josip Juraj Strossmayer” said on Thursday.

The figure corresponds to roughly one microplastic particle per seven litres of water and is comparable to or lower than levels reported in available European studies, which range from around 0.9 to two particles per litre.

The institute said the findings were part of Croatia’s first research monitoring of microplastics in drinking water carried out under a common European methodology.

Tests also showed that in water supply systems using surface water, treatment processes reduced the number of microplastic particles by an average of 94.7%.

The institute said the results marked the start of national monitoring of microplastics in drinking water in Croatia, while noting that internationally comparable methods for measuring smaller nanoplastics are still being developed.