The downpours that fall upon our heads are no longer as harmless as they once were. Behind their apparent freshness, they now carry a cocktail of invisible but very real particles: microplastics and eternal pollutants. As a result, even water falling from the sky, long perceived as pure, is now a vector of environmental contamination... and potentially health risks.
PFAS and microplastics infiltrate the water cycle
The warning isn't new, but the scientific evidence is mounting. For several years, studies have reported the presence of plastic microparticles in even the most remote natural areas. In 2020, a team of American researchers identified microplastics in the rain that watered national parks in the western United States. The culprits: vehicle emissions, but also plastic waste floating in the oceans, capable of evaporating and then falling with precipitation. Added to this invisible cocktail are PFAS—chemical pollutants nicknamed "eternal" for their ability to resist natural degradation. They are ubiquitous: in non-stick pans, waterproof textiles, and even food packaging. Once released, they too end up entering the water cycle.
Towards a new massive health risk?
This ubiquitous pollution worries scientists. Neither water purification systems nor drinking water treatments are able to completely eliminate these particles. A study published in January 2025 in More Water reveals traces of microplastics in tap water and bottled water in France. Even more disturbing: according to Nature Medicine, the human brain is said to contain, on average, the equivalent of a plastic spoon of these invisible residues. The exact effects on human health remain to be clarified, but warning signs are multiplying. Links are already suspected with certain serious pathologies: cancers, heart disease, kidney or neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. If the 1970s saw the episode of acid rain, today, it is a plastic rain that threatens. Except that this time, it is not a pollutant that can be captured by reducing emissions: microplastics and PFAS are everywhere. And could well invite themselves permanently onto our plates, our glasses... and our bodies.
