The EPA is adding microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its draft list of drinking water contaminants for the first time, marking a new federal step toward studying and potentially regulating them. The move puts both on the agency’s Contaminant Candidate List, which identifies substances that may require future monitoring and action under the Safe Drinking Water Act. At the same time, HHS announced a $144 million initiative focused on measuring and monitoring microplastics in drinking water. Experts say it is an important first step, but it does not create immediate limits or guarantee regulation on its own.
Why This Matters:
Clean water should not be a question mark. When microplastics and pharmaceuticals are serious enough to be added to the federal contaminant list, it shows how much concern is building around what may already be in the water people use every day. That is one more reason not to put blind trust in the system and to be more intentional about what your household depends on.
Read the full article here.
Source: NPR
By: Will Stone
