Real Water, a Korean startup, has invented a unique water bottle cap that can filter out microplastics from bottled water and protect people from consuming at least 5 grams of plastic per week.

Synthetic polymer contamination is a major health hazard that has been bothering experts ever since it was first researched.

The existence of microscopic pieces of plastic was revealed in 2018 through a research by the State University of New York, which studied samples from the world’s most popular bottled water brands.

The uniquely, yet simply designed water bottle cap made by Real Water fits on almost all plastic bottles, and can consequently save millions from health issues due to plastic water contamination.

The Korean startup collected samples from 259 bottles of packaged drinking water, from 11 different brands belonging to China, Indonesia, Lebanon, Brazil, India, Kenya, Thailand, Mexico, and the US, to conduct the study.

Once the results were made public, the World Health Organization (WHO) requested a review of the potential risks from drinking such water. The revelations of the study showed that, on average, nearly 2,000 microplastics can be consumed, amounting to about 5 grams of plastic per week.

Real Water’s bottle cap has the capacity to filter out up to 0.005mm of microplastic particles.

Real Water founder Kwon Hyeok Jae developed the product after ten months of concentrated research. His team studied the size of microscopic plastics, investigated markets for available filters, studied the pore sizes, characteristics and principles of each filter before finally creating the Real Water filter cap.

Kwon Hyeok Jae revealed: “It took us more than 10 months to develop the product. I kept repeating the experiments by changing the shape and size of the filter frame. I designed the prototype after numerous trial and error, using a 3D printer. Eventually, I had to find a factory for mass production of this product.”

Real Water’s filter cap can last two months for a person drinking two litres of water per day, as it can filter around 120 litres of water. It should, however, be regularly rinsed under running water and stored in a dry place when not in use, for longer life. The company also offers a storage case for the filter.

First released in June 2020, the Real Water filter cap received good reviews. A crowdfunding drive was undertaken the same month for mass production, followed by a successful launch. Real Water is currently planning to export these special filters to Japan and Taiwan.