The Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are taking a look at the risks of microplastics and pharmaceuticals in drinking water.
The agencies announced Thursday that those two contaminants are on a new list of things found in water that aren't currently subject to any national regulations.
“Today, HHS is taking decisive action to confront microplastics as a growing threat to human health,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Americans deserve clear answers about how microplastics in their bodies affect their health. Through ARPA-H’s STOMP program, we will measure microplastic exposure, identify sources of risk, and develop targeted solutions to reduce it.”
An HHS spokeswoman noted that microplastics are "one of the most pervasive and least understood environmental health challenges we face."
(Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: IMEN BEN YOUSSEF / AFP / Getty Images