Food & Water Watch condemns EPA for failing to include microplastics in proposed drinking water monitoring program

Washington, D.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a draft of the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6), which sets forth which contaminants the agency will require monitoring for in drinking water. The draft rule shows that EPA does not plan to require monitoring for microplastics over the next five years.   

In response, Food & Water Watch Water Policy Director Mary Grant issued the following statement:

“The proposal from EPA to delay monitoring of microplastics in our drinking water for at least five more years is disgraceful. The current research on microplastics has repeatedly shown how disastrous this crisis is. We need comprehensive monitoring data now to know how prevalent these contaminants are in our drinking water. EPA must reconsider its position and add microplastics to the final rule.”

This announcement follows years of advocacy from Food & Water Watch and other environmental and public health groups who have pressured EPA to monitor for microplastics in drinking water. 

In November 2024, Food & Water Watch, joined by 175 other organizations, submitted a petition to the EPA advocating for microplastics monitoring as part of the UCMR 6. Food & Water Watch also successfully urged seven state governors to collectively petition EPA for microplastics monitoring in late 2025. Over 250 health professionals and organizations also called on EPA to include microplastics in the UCMR earlier this year. In June, the attorney generals of 14 states and Washington, D.C., similarly called on the EPA to monitor for microplastics as part of their public comment on the Sixth Contaminant Candidate List. 

Every day, people across the United States and the world are ingesting microplastics in drinking water. It’s estimated that each year the average person consumes 4,000 or more microplastic particles from drinking water. Microplastics are linked to health harms including cancer, and have been proven to have an adverse effect on the immune system.