Attorney General Jeff Jackson Fights for Action on Microplastics in Our Drinking Water

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 15, 2026
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RALEIGH - Attorney General Jeff Jackson is applauding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for researching microplastics found in drinking water but is pushing the agency to require monitoring of microplastics to better understand the risks they pose to our communities.

"Everyone deserves clean drinking water," said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. "I'm glad the EPA is taking steps to do more research on microplastics, but that's not enough. We want them to go further and require monitoring for these contaminants in our water supply."

Microplastics are tiny, often invisible, particles composed of polymers and chemical additives that were originally part of a plastic product or absorbed from the surrounding environment. Research suggests microplastics could pose risks to human health by causing cellular and tissue damage and acting as a vehicle for other toxic chemicals. Most often, humans are exposed through drinking water and other beverages, air, and food. Studies have found the contaminants in tap and bottled water across the world, and the concentration of microplastics in our waters is expected to double by 2040.

Attorney General Jackson and 13 other attorneys general sent a comment letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commending its efforts to add microplastics to the Contaminant Candidate List (CCL). The CCL is a list of potentially harmful contaminants known to be, or suspected to be, in public water systems. Contaminants on the list may require future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Including microplastics on the CCL will allow for more research on the public health impacts of microplastics.

However, the attorneys general argued in the letter that adding microplastics to that list is not enough. They are urging the agency to also include microplastics in the upcoming Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) 6. The UCMR allows the agency to collect data to monitor the presence of microplastics in public water systems.

The attorneys general also encouraged the EPA to lay the groundwork for regulating microplastics by creating a consistent federal definition of microplastics; requiring the collection and monitoring of data on their occurrence and frequency; and developing methods for detection, characterization, and treatment evaluation.

Attorney General Jackson has previously fought to ensure clean water for North Carolinians. Earlier this month, he sued on behalf of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to stop Brenntag Mid-South from illegally discharging contaminants into state waters and to require the company to clean up the damage it has caused. Last year, he filed a brief defending an EPA rule that expanded national drinking water protections and set enforceable standards for several PFAS chemicals.

Attorney General Jackson is joined in signing the letter to the EPA by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

A copy of the letter is available here.

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