As seen on Reddit
“I've now tested tap water for microplastics in 20+ locations across West LA. Here's the contamination map.”
“I refuse to pay $600 to test my tap water for microplastics, so I built a fluorescence scope in my garage”
What LA residents are saying
“I really appreciate that you're making the test kits so reasonably priced. I get data, you get data, we all get a larger data set: win-win-win.”
“So basically the water is fine until it reaches the house, but some houses have better internal pipes than others”
“But what do you suggest folks do? Most filters are plastic and fit into plastic jugs. I would be surprised if they were releasing more plastic than they remove!”
“I have a Pure Water Products RO system. The holding tank has some kind of rubberized structure that the water sits in. I'm always wondering what this might be contributing in terms of microplastics… I would love to bring you a sample.”
“Let me know if you want any from the valley”
How It Works
We Ship Your Kit
Glass vials + prepaid mailer
Fill Your Vials
Takes 30 seconds
Mail It Back
Prepaid — just drop it off
See Your Results
High-res images in 48hrs
Your Kit
Here's What We Send You
A premium kit with two sterile glass vials and a prepaid return mailer. Test two different water sources, or test the same source twice for more accurate results.
- 2 sterile glass vials (no plastic contamination)
- Prepaid return mailer included
- Free shipping both ways
Community Results
Real Results from Your Neighbors
Within 48 hours, you receive a high-resolution microscope image of your sample. Every orange particle is plastic. No confusing PDFs—visual proof you can share with your family.
Click any image to see full details. These are real samples from LA homes.
Who Is This For?
Your kit includes two vials — here's how customers are using them.
Verify Your Filter
Own an RO system, Berkey, or whole-house filter? Test your tap water before the filter in one vial and after in the other. See if your investment is actually working.
Compare Two Sources
Test your kitchen tap vs. your favorite bottled water. Or compare your Brita pitcher to unfiltered tap. Find out which one is actually cleaner.
Just Curious
Test the same source twice for higher confidence, or just see what's in your water. Either way, you get two high-res microscope images.
Same Test. 12x Cheaper.
Launch pricing — won't last forever
| Feature | SimpleLab | PlasticWaterTest |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $598+ | $49 |
| Proof | PDF Table | High-Res Image |
| Technology | GC/MS | Fluorescence Microscopy |
| Turnaround | Weeks | 48 Hours |
“But my water looks clear...”
Your eyes can only see particles larger than a grain of salt. Microplastics are 50x smaller than a human hair. You can't see them. You can't taste them. And those handheld water testers you buy on Amazon? They measure minerals like salt and calcium—they are completely blind to plastic.
You could blend a credit card into your water and your handheld tester would still say “Pure.” It's that blind.
Why I Built This
“$600 to find out what's in my water? There has to be a better way.”
My wife insisted: no more plastic in our house. Glass containers, steel bottles, the whole thing. But then she asked the question I couldn't answer: “How do we actually know there's no plastic in our water?”
I looked into it. The cheapest lab test I could find was $598. For a PDF with numbers. That's insane.
So I dug deeper. Turns out marine biologists have been detecting microplastics in ocean water for years using fluorescence microscopy—it's simple, visual, and a fraction of the cost. I built a rig to do the same thing for tap water. Now I'm making it available to everyone.
Andrew Pierno
Founder & Developer. Building tools to make invisible pollution visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Complete Lab Analysis
The same test labs charge $598+ for — launch pricing
You save $549
- 2 Sterile Glass Vials + Prepaid Return Mailer
- High-Res Fluorescence Microscopy Images
- Particle Count & LA Comparison
- Results in 48 Hours (not weeks)
✓ 100% money-back guarantee
Every sample adds to the LA map — LA residents only
Under the microscope
See What Plastic Looks Like in Water
Drag the slider. Every orange particle is plastic.
Plastic Detected
Clean Sample
← Drag to compare →
Left: Contaminated: 1-year-old plastic water bottle. Right: Clean: Properly filtered tap water.
The Science
How We Detect Microplastics
We don't use $10 strips or “estimates.” We use Fluorescence Microscopy—the same method used by marine biologists.
We Dye It
We bind a fluorescent tracer to the polymers in your water.
We Capture It
We trap everything on a 0.2-micron medical-grade membrane.
We Expose It
Under blue light, organic matter fades, but plastic glows bright.
Where Is The Plastic Coming From?
Tap Water
Aging PVC pipes shed plastic directly into your glass.
Bottled Water
Often contains more plastic than tap due to bottling.
Your Home
Plastic containers, pipes, and dust contribute.
Already ordered?
How To Read Your Results
Low
Within normal range. Your water source looks good.
Elevated
Moderate levels. Consider a higher-quality filter.
High
Significant contamination. Your filter may need replacing.
Particle counts are per 100ml sample. Compare your results to our open-source LA tap water database.
Testing methodology based on protocols used by