Explainer
Microplastics urine test: what the research shows
Of all the ways to look for microplastics in the body, urine is the most accessible — no blood draw, no clinic. Researchers have already found microplastic particles there. Here's what the studies show, and how our at-home citizen-science kit fits in.
What the research found
Urine is a newer frontier than blood or stool, but the evidence is arriving. In 2024, researchers reported microplastics in human urine and kidney tissue using micro-Raman spectroscopy. In 2025, a separate group quantified micro- and nanoplastics in the urine of volunteers using double-shot pyrolysis GC/MS, identifying common consumer polymers — PET, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene.
These are small studies with specialized instruments. They establish that microplastics can be detected in urine — they do not establish a normal range or a health meaning. The field is young.
Why urine is the accessible sample
A blood test needs a draw and careful handling. Tissue needs a biopsy. Urine, by contrast, is something anyone can collect at home with zero equipment. That accessibility is exactly why it's an interesting sample for citizen science — and why almost no consumer microplastic particle test for urine has existed until recently. It's open ground.
Our at-home urine kit pilot
The Water Test runs a citizen-science urine kit. It uses the same Nile Red fluorescence imaging method as our water kit, adapted for a urine sample: you stain, filter, and photograph, and you get back a picture of the fluorescent particles on your filter plus a count.
It is deliberately, repeatedly framed as what it is — a particle visualization experiment and citizen-science study, with accredited-lab verification on a subset of samples. It is not a medical test, it produces no diagnosis, and there is no “normal” result, because no normal range exists.
The at-home urine kit — citizen-science pilot
$50. Visualize suspected microplastic particles in a urine sample. Capped pilot run.
Frequently asked
Can you test urine for microplastics?
Researchers have detected and quantified microplastic particles in human urine using lab instruments such as micro-Raman spectroscopy and pyrolysis GC/MS. For consumers, The Water Test runs a citizen-science urine kit that visualizes suspected microplastic particles using Nile Red fluorescence imaging. It is a particle-visualization experiment, not a medical or diagnostic test.
Why test urine instead of blood?
Urine is the most accessible sample a person can provide — no blood draw, no clinic. It is also a route the body uses to clear small particles, which makes it a scientifically interesting sample. That said, like every body sample, a urine particle count has no established 'normal' range and no health interpretation.
Is there an at-home microplastics urine test?
The Water Test offers an at-home urine kit as a capped citizen-science pilot — $50, with accredited-lab verification on a subset of samples. You receive a photo of your stained filter and a particle count. No diagnosis, no interpretation.
What does a urine microplastics result mean?
It tells you that particles in your sample bound to the Nile Red dye and fluoresced — which includes most plastics, and also some non-plastic hydrophobic material. It does not tell you a body burden or anything about your health. It is best understood as a visualization experiment.
Related: microplastics in stool · microplastics blood tests, explained