The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday that they will begin monitoring the presence and impact of microplastics and pharmaceuticals in drinking water. This initiative marks an important first step toward understanding the potential health risks associated with these contaminants and could help guide the development of future regulations and public health policies.
The joint announcement was welcomed by Lee Zeldin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who described it as a significant move aligned with Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. This initiative has focused on reshaping public health priorities, including efforts to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines and to encourage healthier eating habits through updated dietary guidelines that emphasize whole foods.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will add microplastics and pharmaceuticals to the sixth Contaminant Candidate List. This step means they will begin to be tested and monitored under the Safe Drinking Water Act and will receive funding for further research. The move is considered a preliminary step toward potential future regulation if these substances are found to pose a threat to public drinking water systems.
“We cannot treat what we cannot measure. We cannot regulate what we don’t understand,” Kennedy said at a press conference at EPA headquarters.
Lee Zeldin and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have faced criticism from MAHA activists, who argue that the agency has not gone far enough in addressing key concerns such as microplastics and has failed to enforce stricter regulations on pesticide use.
“For too long, Americans have been ignored as they sound the alarm about plastics in their drinking water. That ends today,” Zeldin said at the press conference.
MOVE FOLLOWS PETITION
Seven U.S. governors, including those from New Jersey and Michigan, along with 175 environmental and public health organizations, filed a legal petition late last year urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to add microplastics to its list of contaminants for monitoring. This list is updated every five years.
Microplastics tiny fragments of plastic have been found in a wide range of places, including inside the human body, in drinking water, and even in remote environments such as deep oceans and Arctic ice. Some studies have suggested a possible link between microplastics and serious health issues, including cancer and reproductive harm.
Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and former EPA regional administrator, said the EPA’s move is “an important first step.”
Kimberly Wise White, vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic manufacturers, stated that the group supports science-based monitoring of microplastics in drinking water.
During his campaign for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to address plastic pollution, including reducing its production. However, he later endorsed Donald Trump, whose administration had previously urged countries to oppose efforts to cap plastic production as part of a potential United Nations treaty aimed at limiting global plastic pollution.
Pharmaceuticals enter water systems through improper disposal and human waste.
The EPA will also release human health benchmarks for 374 pharmaceuticals to be monitored.
