Bynum Urges EPA to Monitor Microplastics in America's Drinking Water

Yesterday, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led a bicameral letter, joined by 53 of their colleagues, urging Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to add microplastics to the agency's recently published Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6). The lawmakers argue that EPA should begin monitoring microplastics in America's drinking water, citing a growing body of research linking the emerging contaminant to serious adverse health effects.

Earlier this Congress, Rep. Bynum introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Microplastics Safety Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a study on the health impacts of microplastics in food, water, and other products. The legislation is a critical step forward in better understanding the threat of microplastics to human health.

In the letter, the lawmakers write:

"As plastic production continues to expand rapidly, microplastics pose a potential threat to public health in the United States. Emerging research demonstrates that microplastics are now pervasive in the human body and are associated with serious adverse health effects. Concentrations of microplastics in human brain tissue have been reported to increase by nearly 50 percent between 2016 and 2024."

Later in the letter, they write:

"Accordingly, we urge the EPA to add microplastics to UCMR 6 and to design a robust, nationwide monitoring program for microplastics in drinking water. Doing so will provide critical transparency regarding exposure, inform future health-protective standards under SDWA, and help ensure that the federal government meets its responsibility to protect the health and safety of the American people."

The letter also highlights growing bipartisan congressional interest in better understanding how microplastics affect Americans' health, pointing to the recently introduced bipartisan, bicameral Microplastics Safety Act and ARPA-H's STOMP program to develop technologies to measure and remove microplastics from the body. The lawmakers argue EPA has a critical role to play as the primary agency regulating drinking water.

Background
Researchers at the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) define microplastics as plastic particles ranging in size from 5 millimeters to one nanometer. Microplastics have been found in every ecosystem on the planet, as well as in food, beverages, and animal and human tissue. When Environment Oregon sampled 30 of Oregon's most iconic rivers, lakes, and urban waterways, they found microplastic fibers in 100% of the samples.

The full text of the letter is available here.