US agencies to monitor drinking water for microplastics, pharmaceuticals
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced that they will monitor the impact of microplastics and pharmaceuticals on drinking water, the first step toward assessing their health risks and shaping new policies.
The joint announcement was hailed by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as a win for President Donald Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, whose priorities have included reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccines and promoting whole foods in new dietary guidelines.
The EPA will now include microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the sixth Contaminant Candidate List, which would mean they would start being tested and monitored under the Safe Drinking Water Act and receive funding for research, a precursor to future regulation if they are determined to threaten public water systems.
Zeldin and the EPA have drawn criticism from MAHA activists for falling short on addressing their concerns, including microplastics, and not applying more stringent rules on pesticides.
Supporters of RFK, Jr. and his "MAHA" platform helped elect President Donald Trump in 2024.
Seven U.S. governors from states including New Jersey and Michigan as well as 175 environmental and health groups late last year filed a legal petition calling on the EPA to add microplastics to the list of contaminants to monitor. The list is updated every five years.
Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that have been discovered everywhere from inside human bodies to drinking water to the depths of oceans and Arctic ice. Some studies have linked them to cancers or reproductive harm.
When Kennedy ran for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, he had pledged to tackle plastic pollution, including its production. He later endorsed Republican candidate Trump, whose administration last year warned countries to oppose any attempt to cap plastic production under a potential UN treaty to limit plastic pollution.
Pharmaceuticals enter water systems through improper disposal and human waste.
"By placing microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the Contaminant Candidate List for the first time ever, EPA is sending a clear message: we will follow the science, we will pursue answers, and we will hold ourselves to the highest standards to protect the health of every American family,” Zeldin said in a statement.
The agency will also release human health benchmarks for 374 pharmaceuticals to be monitored.
