ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Microplastics in Water Samples Collected from Urban Fountains
More details
Hide details
1
Department of sanitary networks and installations, Faculty of Infrastructure and Environment, Częstochowa University of Technology (CUT), Częstochowa, Poland
2
Department of Water and Wastewater technology, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
3
SmartMembranes GmbH, Halle (Saale), Germany
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2025-09-10
Final revision date: 2026-03-27
Acceptance date: 2026-04-01
Online publication date: 2026-04-13
Publication date: 2026-04-13
Corresponding author
Agnieszka POPENDA
Department of sanitary networks and installations, Czestochowa University of Technology (CUT)
42-200 CZĘSTOCHOWA
UL DĄBROWSKIEGO 69, Dąbrowskiego 69, 42-200, Częstochowa, Poland
Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports 2026;36(1):143-158
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Publicly accessible urban fountains represent a largely overlooked component of urban water systems, despite their direct human and animal contact and potential role as indicators of local microplastic pollution. There is a lack of information on microplastic studies in publicly exposed fountains. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate concentrations and composition of the aforementioned micropollutants in samples from several fountains in Polish (Gliwice, Rybnik) and German (Halle) cities with similar populations. The sources of microplastic occurrence in the fountains' water were also considered. It should be noted that, so far, microplastics have not been monitored in these places and remain an unidentified concern. Microplastic fractions were detected in each of the studied fountains; however, concentrations, composition, and fractions varied. The most dominant microplastic fraction present in fountain water samples tested was fibers, followed by micro pellets, fragments, and foils. The type of microplastics was not typical for the city but for individual fountains. PET, PA, PE, PP, and PS particles were identified in fountain water; however no dominant polymer could be confirmed. It was concluded that German fountain water contained fewer microplastics than water from Polish cities. The probable explanation is that fewer dust and soil particles were present on German pavements.
REFERENCES (21)
1.
Nocoń, W Moraczewska-Majkut, K and Wiśniowska, E 2018. Microplastics in surface water under strong anthropopression. Desalination and Water Treatment 134, 174–181.
2.
Niu, J Xu, D Wu, W and Gao, B 2024. Tracing microplastic sources in urban water bodies combining their diversity, fragmentation and stability. Clean Water 7, 37.
3.
Małecka-Adamowicz, M and Kubera, Ł 2017. Jakość mikrobiologiczna wód fontann miejskich zlokalizowanych na terenie Bydgoszczy [Microbiological quality of water from urban fountains located in the Bydgoszcz (Poland)]. Woda-Środowisko-Obszary Wiejskie, 17(2), 139–147.
4.
Yang, L Kang, S Luo, X and Wang, Z 2024. Microplastics in drinking water: A review on methods, occurrence, sources, and potential risks assessment. Environmental Pollution 348, 123857.
5.
Shruti, VC Fermín Pérez, G and Kutralam-Muniasamy, G 2020. Metro station free drinking water fountain – A potential “microplastics hotspot” for human consumption. Environmental Pollution 261, 114227.
6.
Dris, R Gasperi, J Saad, M Mirande, C and Tassin, B 2016. Synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout: A source of microplastics in the environment? Marine Pollution Bulletin 104(1–2), 290–293.
7.
Pivokonsky, M Cermakova, L Novotna, K Peer, P Cajthaml, T and Janda, V 2018. Occurrence of microplastics in raw and treated drinking water. Science of the Total Environment 643, 1644–1651.
8.
Liu, F Olesen, KB Borregaard, AR and Vollertsen, J 2019. Microplastics in urban and highway stormwater retention ponds. Science of the Total Environment 671, 992–1000.
9.
Mason, SA Welch, VG and Neratko, J 2018. Synthetic polymer contamination in bottled water. Frontiers in Chemistry 6, 407.
10.
Alvim, CB Frank, HG and Mano, VF 2020. Microplastic in stormwater: Sources, pathway, and fate of urban plastics. Environmental Science & Technology 54(14), 8637–8647.
11.
Moraczewska-Majkut, K Nocoń, W Kudłek, E Wiśniowska, E Pyszka, K Karolczyk, W Solecka, W Żołna, L Pietranek, O Grodzicki P 2025. Microplastics in swimming pool. Desalination and Water Treatment 322, 101178.
12.
Brahney, J Hallerud, M Heim, E Hahnenberger, M and Sukumaran S 2020. Plastic rain in protected areas of the United States. Science 368(6496), 1257–1260.
13.
Hidalgo-Ruz, V Gutow, L et al. 2012 Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Review of the Methods Used for Identification and Quantification. Environmental Science & Technology 46, 3060-3075.
14.
Wright, SL Levermore, JM and Kelly, FJ 2020. Ramifications of airborne microplastics for human health. Nature Communications 11(1), 2252.
15.
Liu, K Wang, X Fang, T Xu, P Zhu, L and Li, D 2019. Source and potential risk assessment of suspended atmospheric microplastics in Shanghai. Atmospheric Environment 214, 116792.
16.
Bagaev, A Khatmullina, L Chubarenko, I and Isachenko I 2019. The transport and accumulation of microplastics in the urban water system of Moscow. Marine Pollution Bulletin 138, 385–391.
17.
Kataoka, T Nihei, Y Kudou, K and Hinata, H 2019. Assessment of the sources and inflows of microplastics in the urban water system of Tokyo, Japan. Science of the Total Environment 657, 1342–1349.
18.
Mohamed, MA Khairy, M and Hassan, R 2022. Microplastic pollution in the Nile River and its potential risk to drinking water in Cairo, Egypt. Environmental Pollution 293, 118584.
19.
Rocha-Santos, T Duarte, AC and Lopes, I 2021. Microplastics in drinking water – Current knowledge and future research needs. Environmental Science & Technology 55(4), 2052–2062.
20.
Nel, HA Dalu, T and Wasserman, RJ 2020. Sinks and sources: Assessing microplastic abundance in river sediment and tap water near urban areas in South Africa. Water SA 46(3), 425–432.
21.
Tyagi, VK Rawtani, D and Khatri, N 2021. Microplastic pollution in the hydrosphere and its potential health effects on humans: A review. Journal of Water Process Engineering 40, 101859.