Trump administration officials outlined a plan Thursday to list microplastics and certain pharmaceuticals as contaminants in drinking water, a step toward new regulations that fulfill a goal of the Make America Healthy Again movement.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced a proposal to add microplastics and pharmaceuticals, such as antidepressants, as priority contaminants in the EPA’s drinking waters draft of the Sixth Contaminant Candidate List.
The CCL is a list of contaminants that are known or anticipated in public water systems. It does not subject the contaminants to any regulations, but it could be used to set rules down the line.
“For too long, Americans have vocalized concerns about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water,” Zeldin said in a press release. ”That ends today.”
The agency is including two other contaminant groups in the CCL: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down naturally in the environment, and disinfection byproducts , as well as 75 chemicals and nine microbes that may be found in drinking water.
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to publish a CCL every five years. The EPA will open a public comment period on the proposed contaminants. After the agency finalizes the proposal, it will determine whether to regulate at least five contaminants from the list in a separate rulemaking process.
MAHA-aligned groups and activists have been ramping up pressure on the EPA to take environmental health issues more seriously.
In early December, more than 2,800 people signed a petition urging the White House to fire Zeldin. The effort was led by several prominent MAHA acolytes, including the self-described “food babe” Vani Hari and wellness podcaster Alex Clark.
This week, Hari and 37 other leaders of MAHA-aligned groups sent a letter to Zeldin demanding action on microplastics, PFAS, and pesticides.
Meanwhile, a recent Politico survey found that voters think the GOP is more susceptible to industry influence than Democrats when it comes to advancing policies that might make Americans healthier.
About four in 10 MAHA supporters and three in 10 non-MAHA supporters believe the GOP is more susceptible to corporate influence from the food industry than Democrats.
GOP LAWMAKERS BACK TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT OVERHAUL OF BIDEN FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS
Another three in 10 from both MAHA and non-MAHA camps believe Republicans are more likely to be swayed by lobbying from the pesticide industry. More than half of all voters surveyed, 52%, believe the Trump administration has not done enough to make America healthy again.
