Croatia has published its first national monitoring results for microplastics in drinking water, establishing a baseline that places the country below the European average while setting a reference point for future tracking. The Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute, working with the Croatian Institute of Public Health, found an average concentration of 0.144 priority polymer particles per liter in treated water and distribution networks, roughly equivalent to one plastic particle per seven liters. All analyses followed the harmonized methodology established by EU Commission Delegated Decision 2024/1441, ensuring data comparability across the bloc.
The findings compare favorably to broader European data, where concentrations typically range from 0.9 to 2 particles per liter. Croatian authorities cautioned against direct comparisons, noting that results can vary depending on particle size thresholds and analytical methods. The institute went beyond mandatory measurements of treated water to analyze raw, unfiltered water from natural sources, allowing scientists to track microplastic concentrations through every stage of the filtration and purification process. The results brought welcome news about local system efficiency, in networks using surface water sources, treatment reduced plastic particle counts by 94.7%.
The monitoring aligns Croatia with the EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, which mandates gradual inclusion of microplastics among monitored parameters and requires a full risk assessment by 2029. The MicroDrink project, a Danube River Basin initiative led by the Croatian Geological Survey, is working to build capacity and standardize methods across the region, where 75,000 to 300,000 tons of microplastics enter Europe’s environment annually. For Croatia, the pioneering study represents both a public health benchmark and a demonstration that existing water treatment infrastructure can effectively capture these particles, though the institute has pledged to continue developing laboratory capacity to track emerging environmental indicators.
