EPA’s Microplastic Drinking Water Plan
As some of you know, I worked for Waste Management, Inc. for several years in its Chemical Waste Management division as well as at corporate headquarters providing technical training programs for its employees.
Even though I am retired, I like to stay informed about what is happening in these industries by subscribing to a news service called WASTEDIVE. Last week I received notification that the EPA is proposing to add microplastics to its list of drinking water contaminants.
As you have seen in some of our previous news postings in this website, there is growing evidence that microplastics are being found in multiple parts of our bodies no matter what age we are. Subsequently scientists are conducting an increasing number of studies to determine their effects on our health. In addition, there are efforts being made to reduce the routes of entry into our bodies.
One way that microplastics enter our bodies is via our drinking water and one way for the microplastics to become part of our water supply is via waste being treated at water treatment plants. For example, many landfill operators send their leachate to water treatment plants. Yet, until now, microplastics have not been part of the EPA’s Contaminated Candidate List (CCL) which can lead to the EPA’s funding and research priorites and ultimately the regulation of substances in drinking water.
The EPA’s proposal to add microplastics to the CCL coincides with a new multi million dollar microplastics research program that is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. The research project will focus on identifying and measuring microplastics and developing ways to remove them from the human body.
Besides proposing the listing of microplastics, the EPA proposes the inclusion of certain pharmaceuticals, PFA substances (often called Forever Chemicals), disinfection byproducts as well as 75 chemicals and nine microbes that may be found in drinking water.
The pharmaceuticals were included because they can enter water supplies when humans excrete them or dump unused medications down the drain.
I will monitor this proposal and report if the listed contaminants become part of the CCL.
Here is a link to the WASTEDIVE article which includes links to additional details about the proposal and the research project:
EPA proposes adding microplastics to list of drinking water contaminants.
