PFAS Microplastic Reduction System

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microplastics, are environmental contaminants that pose significant health risks. These contaminants are almost everywhere, so much so, that PFAS are commonly called “forever chemicals.”

The water you consume in your home may contain these contaminants, increasing your risk of developing health issues. Consequently, it’s vital to take necessary measures to remove them, and other contaminants from your water supply, ensuring your family only uses safe water.
Rain Water Conditioning of Las Vegas is dedicated to helping families attain this goal. Get to know us more and learn about the chemicals present in your water supply, and how to remove them.

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What Are PFAS?

PFAS are a group of man-made long-lasting chemicals used in different products due to their water, grease, and stain-resistant properties. For example, they are used in textiles, carpets, curtains, outdoor furniture, and mattresses for their water and stain-resistant properties. They are also used in food packaging, such as fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, and pizza boxes, to prevent water and grease from seeping through.

PFAS also have non-stick properties. Accordingly, non-stick cookware contains them. Other products that often contain PFAS include umbrellas, raincoats, building materials, cleaning products, and personal care products.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic (less than five millimeters in size) that originate from the breakdown of larger plastic items. Microplastics can be secondary or primary.

Secondary microplastics are those that form when larger plastic items degrade over time through physical, biological, and photochemical processes. For example, when plastic bottles are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation for so long that they break down into microplastics, or when tiny particles of rubber and other materials are released as tires move along the road due to wear caused by friction.

Primary microplastics are intentionally manufactured as small particles. For instance, microbeads manufactured to be used in personal care products, like facial scrubs or toothpaste, or plastic pellets used in industrial manufacturing.

How Do PFAS and Microplastics Get Into Our Water?

PFAS and microplastics get into our drinking water in different ways. The common ones include:

Surface runoff: Rainwater/runoff from agricultural fields, industrial sites, and urban areas can introduce PFAS and microplastics into your water source.
Wastewater treatment: Wastewater treatment plants are unable to completely remove all PFAS, allowing some to enter water supplies. Additionally, because of their small size, microplastics can pass through wastewater treatment and filtration systems.
Leach from landfills: Since plastic landfills contain PFAS and microplastics, water seeping through them can introduce these chemicals into water supplies. Leachate from these landfills can carry them to nearby water sources, or into the soil, and eventually into groundwater aquifers. Chemicals can leach from plastic products, such as food packaging in landfills, and can also penetrate soil and groundwater.
Synthetic fabrics: A significant percentage of synthetic fabrics, particularly those treated for water or stain resistance, contain PFAS. Synthetic fabrics made from plastic fibers, like nylon and polyester, contain microplastics. When clothes made from synthetic fibers are washed, microfibers can shed, releasing PFAS and microplastics into wastewater. This water will then flow into sewage treatment plants to be treated, but as mentioned before, some PFAS and microplastics may not be removed during treatment. Thus, they may find their way into your home. It’s also possible for wastewater after washing synthetic clothes to directly seep into your waterway.
Industrial discharges: Some industries have been reported to dump untreated wastewater into water bodies that are primary sources of water for the city. Industrial plastic waste stored onsite can also result in chemicals leaching into the soil and groundwater aquifers.
Firefighting foam: Some firefighting foams, especially those used to extinguish class B fires (fires that involve flammable liquids, like gasoline, oil, and solvents) contain PFAS. These chemicals are used because they act as surfactants, which means they lower the surface tension of water, allowing it to mix well with other substances. Moreover, they help foam spread rapidly. However, when firefighting foam is carried by runoff to water sources, it can enter your water supply.

Can You Tell If Your Water Has PFAS and Microplastics?

PFAS and microplastics are invisible to the naked eye. Their presence in water generally won’t change their color, smell, or taste. The only way to tell if your water is contaminated is by having it tested by a certified laboratory, particularly if you get water from a public system or a private well.

Some studies have found that bottled water can also contain PFAS and microplastics. Thus, people who drink bottled water should also be concerned. A few companies voluntarily test for PFAS and microplastics. Typically, they provide the testing information on their bottles.

Home testing kits are on the market — you might have heard of them. While they can provide some initial information to help make informed decisions, a professional should test your water to accurately detect and quantify these substances.

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How Can You Avoid Consuming Contaminated Water?

It’s critical to remove contaminants before consuming water. Our state-of-the-art PFAS Microplastic Reduction System will ensure your family accesses safe water.

This system uses ResinTech’s SIR-110-HP ion exchange resin, which is designed to specifically remove a vast range of PFAS from water. Through ion exchange, PFAS compounds in water are replaced by chloride ions. The PFAS in your water supply will be reduced up to non-detectable levels before they get to your faucets.

The PFAS Microplastic Reduction System has a flow rate of eight gallons per minute (GPM) or less, which can be increased by adding more systems in parallel. Additionally, it has fewer exchanges during treatment. Thus, it results in lower waste volumes and a smaller footprint.

To remove microplastics from your water, you need a filtration system. Our reverse osmosis and alkaline water reverse osmosis systems are dependable for eliminating microplastics from water. They work in similar ways, but the latter adds some alkaline minerals that our body needs, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Our Las Vegas water softener and filtration company has several services that help protect the well-being of residents. We have helped many households to avoid the dangers posed by contaminated water, and can help yours as well.

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Microplastics Research. (2024).

Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS. (2024).

PFAS Explained. (2024).