A narrative review was carried out to describe the current knowledge related to the occurrence of MPs in drinking water. The reviewed studies (n = 21) showed the presence of microplastics (MPs) in tap (TW) and bottled (BW) water, increasing concerns for public health due to the possible toxicity associated with their polymeric composition, additives, and other compounds or microorganism adsorbed on their surface. The MP concentration increase by decreasing particles size and was higher in BW than in TW. Among BW, reusable PET and glass bottles showed a higher MP contamination than other packages. The lower MP abundance in TW than in natural sources indicates a high removal rate of MPs in drinking water treatment plants. This evidence should encourage the consumers to drink TW instead of BW, in order to limit their exposure to MPS and produce less plastic waste. The high variability in the results makes it difficult to compare the findings of different studies and build up a general hypothesis on human health risk. A globally shared protocol is needed to harmonize results also in view of the monitoring plans for the emerging contaminants, including MPs, introduced by the new European regulation.

Polyethylenterephtalate (PET) is the preferred packaging material in the bottled water industry and represents the main cause of waste production. This work investigated the drinking water consumption habits, with particular reference to PET-bottled water, of people living in the province of Lecce (Apulia Region, Southern Italy) by age and geographical groups. Their perception about the quality of tap water was also explored. The survey was performed by the administration of a questionnaire to 4137 citizens. Bottled mineral water was consumed by about the 90.4% of respondents with an average consumption of 387.7 L/year per capita (375.2 L/year in PET-bottles, 12.5 L/year in glass bottles). Public supply system was used by the 61.5% of respondents with an average consumption of 169.4 L/year per capita. The consumption of tap water was negatively related to the perception of its bad quality and the residence in a big city (Lecce); while it was positively associated with the age group $\le 16$ years old. Effective communications strategies must be developed in order to promote the consumption of tap water and implement good practice of circular economy.

Raman spectroscopy was applied to quantitatively and qualitatively characterize microplastics (MPs) in bottled water packaged in three different materials: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled PET (rPET) and glass. The results showed a low mean concentration of MPs in all samples, with higher values in glass bottles (8.65 ± 5.39 p L⁻¹) than in PET (5.09 ± 3.28 p L⁻¹) or rPET (3.33 ± 1.34 p L⁻¹) bottles. Through the use of a method capable of detecting smaller particles, MPs of 20–100 μm were dominant and fragments were the most abundant particle shape. PET was the prevalent polymer in PET bottles underlying the possible contribution of packaging in MP contamination, while polyethylene (PE) with additives prevailed in rPET and glass bottles, suggesting a contribution from the cap. A standardized protocol would allow comparable data to be obtained and allow an objective assessment of exposure, in view of plans to monitor contaminants of emerging concern (including MPs) under recent European legislation.