09/02/2026
Are You Drinking Plastic? Why Over 175 Groups Are Calling the EPA’s Latest Move Unlawful Every time you turn on the tap, you might be drinking more than just water. It is estimated that the average person consumes over 4,000 microplastic particles each year from drinking water alone, ingesting pollutants linked to cancer and immune system dysfunction. Yet, when it comes to tracking what is flowing into our homes, federal regulators are looking the other way.
A coalition of over 175 environmental, public health, and community organizations—led by Food & Water Watch—has formally submitted comments calling out the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for unlawfully omitting microplastics from its latest drinking water monitoring proposal.
The Legal Battle Over UCMR 6
The controversy centers on the draft Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6), a federal framework used by the EPA to track emerging contaminants in public water systems across the nation.
The exclusion of microplastics isn't just an oversight—advocates argue it violates federal requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Because seven state governors formally petitioned the agency to include microplastics in UCMR 6, the EPA is legally required to add them unless it can prove that doing so would displace another contaminant posing a greater public health threat.
Instead of providing a health-based justification, the draft rule left microplastics out entirely.
"A Pervasive Public Health Crisis"
As Erin Doran, Senior Staff Attorney at Food & Water Watch, emphasized:
"Microplastics contamination is one of the most pervasive public health crises we’re currently facing and yet EPA will not commit to getting the data we need to tackle this crisis in drinking water... EPA must either monitor for microplastics in our drinking water or justify why it’s refusing to do so based on public health as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act."
Without standardized, nationwide monitoring, communities and regulators remain in the dark about the exact concentrations and sources of microplastics entering municipal tap systems.
What Comes Next?
The petition submitted by the governors and the mounting public pressure represent the culmination of years of advocacy demanding federal accountability. As the public comment window progresses, the ball remains in the EPA’s court: either revise the final UCMR 6 rule to include comprehensive microplastic testing or defend its refusal under strict statutory scrutiny.
