'No microplastics' in Coway water purifiers at 1㎛ threshold, tests confirm

Coway said Tuesday that microplastic testing on filtered water from its Icon Water Purifier 3 and Ice Water Purifier RO detected no microplastics at or above 1 micrometer (㎛).

The tests were conducted by KOTITI Testing & Research Institute, an accredited testing body. The two models evaluated were the direct-flow Icon Water Purifier 3 (CHP-7220N) and the tank-type Ice Water Purifier RO (CHPI-7521L). Using the international standard analytical method ISO 16094-2, the institute checked whether microplastics of 1㎛ or larger were present in water that had passed through each unit.

One micrometer is roughly one-hundredth the width of a human hair. Advances in microplastic analysis technology have made it possible to detect particles smaller than was previously achievable, Coway said.

Attention to microplastic safety in drinking water has been growing. The US Environmental Protection Agency has added microplastics to its list of preliminary regulatory contaminants for drinking water, and the International Organization for Standardization has moved to standardize analytical methods for microplastics in drinking water, keeping the issue at the center of regulatory discussions worldwide.

Coway said the significance of this round of testing lies in its scope: rather than measuring only how well a filter removes microplastics, the company verified whether microplastics appear in the water that actually comes out of the purifier — accounting for the safety of internal components as well as filter performance.

The company had earlier obtained microplastic removal performance certification for its NanoTrap filter, its direct-flow purifiers and its reverse-osmosis purifiers. The latest testing extends that verification from filter-level performance to the standard of the filtered water itself.

"As consumer concerns about emerging contaminants such as microplastics grow, we are strengthening the safety of our water purifiers through proactive verification and quality management so that customers can use them with greater peace of mind," a Coway official said. "We will continue to build trust in Coway water purifiers on the strength of our differentiated filter technology and research capabilities."

Meanwhile, Coway is also addressing microplastic safety in its air purifier lineup. The company has obtained microplastic reduction certification for five air purifier models, including the Noble Dehumidifying Air Purifier.