Federal Designation Marks First Step Toward Microplastics Control

LANSING — The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it will add microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its list of drinking water contaminants for the first time, prompting a mix of cautious optimism and criticism from Michigan officials and environmental advocates.

The move marks the beginning of a lengthy process that could eventually lead to monitoring requirements and regulations on these ubiquitous pollutants. But critics say the federal action falls short of what's needed to protect public health and the environment.

What the EPA Announced

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. jointly announced Thursday that microplastics and pharmaceuticals will be designated as priority contaminant groups under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This designation is expected to prioritize research, funding, and potential future regulation of these pollutants.

"The EPA is sending a clear message," Zeldin said at EPA Headquarters in Washington. "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."

The EPA's Contaminant Candidate List identifies contaminants in drinking water that are not currently regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The agency is publishing the draft of the sixth version of the list, which opens a 60-day public comment period and expects to finalize the list by mid-November.

Studies have looked at the prevalence of microplastics in drinking water and in people's hearts, brains, and testicles. Doctors and scientists are still assessing what it means in terms of human health threats, but say there's cause for concern.

The Scale of the Problem

More than 22 million pounds of plastic waste enter the Great Lakes each year, much of it in the form of microplastics — tiny plastic fragments measuring 5 millimeters or less. These particles come from litter that breaks down in the environment, fleece clothing that sheds fibers with every wash, car tires that grind away on road surfaces, and many other sources.

Pharmaceuticals, meanwhile, range from anti-anxiety drugs to antibiotics and pain relievers that enter water supplies through human waste, improper drug disposal, and intensive livestock operations that routinely dose animals with antibiotics and other drugs. Pharmaceuticals have shown up at sampling sites across the Great Lakes and in the drinking water of tens of millions of U.S. residents.

In the environment, pharmaceuticals can harm aquatic life and give rise to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Human health impacts from low-level drinking water pollution are not well understood.

Michigan State Senator Sue Shink Welcomes the Move

State Senator Sue Shink, who frequently sponsors legislation related to plastic pollution, said she's glad to see the federal government taking notice. The Northfield Township Democrat has introduced legislation to combat microplastics in Michigan.

"I'm glad that microplastics are getting some attention in the news today," Shink said. "I have seen from talking to people that it's a bipartisan issue. At the same time, talk is great, action is better."

Shink's legislative efforts include bills to require drinking water providers to monitor for microplastics and create a statewide microplastics plan. She noted that Michigan is already conducting a pilot to test five different drinking water systems for the contaminants and will test about 200 inland lakes and streams for microplastics over the next three years.

Environmental Groups Say More Action Is Needed

Despite the federal announcement, environmental groups say the EPA's action doesn't go far enough. They want the agency to heed calls from state leaders and environmental groups to step up drinking water monitoring and take more aggressive action.

"We really should be taking action to protect people's health," said Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, who frequently sponsors legislation related to plastic pollution. "But we expect so little from the Trump administration, even their acknowledgement that we're going to look at this and collect data is probably a good thing."

Samantha Pickering leads the public and environmental public health program at the Michigan Environmental Council. She said the EPA's acknowledgment of the problem is good, but there's more that should be done now, like adding microplastics to the government's official list of contaminants in drinking water that must be monitored.

"I appreciate that the EPA is acknowledging that they're going to start watching it, but it needs to be shifted into a precautionary approach," Pickering said. "I don't see why they wouldn't be able to start taking action."

Pickering noted that Michigan and California are ahead of the U.S. EPA in tackling the problem. California has passed a law requiring the adoption of a system for testing drinking water supplies, and Michigan is already conducting its own monitoring program.

Industry Supports Monitoring

The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, said it supports monitoring of microplastics in drinking water and research to better understand potential impacts, as long as the monitoring is standardized and consistent nationwide.

EPA uses the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule to collect data for contaminants that are suspected to be present in drinking water. The joint move from Kennedy and Zeldin comes as activists from Kennedy's MAHA movement have forged fragile political ties with the EPA but expressed frustration with lack of action on their priorities, including pesticide regulation.

The Path Forward

The proposal to designate microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminants is open for public comments through June 1. Before you go, it's worth noting that the EPA said in March that it will not develop regulations for any of the nine pollutants from the list it most recently examined.

"It's the beginning of a very long process that routinely ends in nothing," said Erik Olson, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Driven Council who works on drinking water protection.

Still, some who are urging the government to do more to stop plastic pollution say the announcement is a good start. "Including it in the list would be the first step toward eventually regulating microplastics in public water supplies and hopefully this is not the last step," said Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator who now heads up Beyond Plastics.

Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College, said that while the EPA is moving in the right direction, if the United States does not rein in the accelerating growth in plastic production, which leads to plastic pollution, it will make little difference.

The U.S. is participating in talks on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution, but strongly opposes limits on plastic production.