The US Environmental Protection Agency has for the first time added the tiny plastic particles known as microplastics to its most recent draft list of contaminants that are candidates for future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization, they have been linked to higher rates of stroke and heart disease, as well as uncontrolled cell growth and inflammation.
EPA also included pharmaceuticals as a group for the first time, along with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), disinfection byproducts, 75 individual chemicals, and nine microbes that may be present in public drinking water systems.
The agency will solicit public comments for 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register.
The nonprofit estimates that adults ingest an average equivalent of three to twelve grocery bags of plastic particles each year through water, food and plastic items.
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