RFK Jr launches $134M+ national program to study microplastics in the human body, drinking water

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and nan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) connected Thursday announced a monolithic associated effort to measure, understand and region microplastics and pharmaceuticals from nan nation's h2o proviso and nan human body.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin elaborate nan urgency of nan increasing wellness situation during a property event, citing melodramatic increases successful integrative concentrations successful quality organs.

"This is not a uncommon exposure, this is baseline," Kennedy warned, noting that researchers person recovered integrative particles successful quality blood, lung tissue, livers, kidneys and successful each azygous sample of tested quality placentas. "We are not dealing pinch a distant aliases theoretical risk. We are dealing pinch a measurable and increasing beingness wrong nan quality body. And nan awesome is getting stronger."

He added that nan attraction of plastics successful nan quality encephalon has spiked by 50% since 2016, amounting to astir "a spoonful of integrative successful each quality brain."

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Director of nan Marine Institute of Plymouth Professor Richard Thompson analyses nurdles and different micro-plastics acknowledgment to a microscope. (Ben Stansall/AFP)

Kennedy besides highlighted a clinical study revealing that patients pinch microplastics detected successful their arterial plaque look a 450% higher consequence of bosom attack, changeable aliases decease wrong 3 years. 

"We do not disregard signals for illustration that," he said. "We investigate."

To tackle nan aesculapian crisis, nan management is launching nan STOMP (Systematic Targeting of Microplastics) initiative, a nationalist programme weighted betwixt $134 cardinal and $144 million, which intends to precisely measurement microplastics successful nan body, way really they origin biologic harm and safely region them.

A study recovered that overmuch of nan Earth's pat h2o is contaminated pinch microplastic fibers. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)

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Dr. Alicia Jackson, who leads nan Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, said nan programme will create a objective trial for microplastics that takes little than 15 minutes and costs little than $50 truthful that each American tin person access.

"STOMP will do, successful 5 years, what nan full section has been incapable to do for decades," Jackson said. "… This section has been moving successful nan acheronian agelong capable and STOMP turns connected nan lights."

On nan biology front, Zeldin announced nan merchandise of nan draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate ListSixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), which includes 75 chemicals, 4 chemic groups — microplastics, pharmaceuticals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), on pinch disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and 9 microbes.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during an announcement addressing intelligence wellness and addiction initiatives successful Washington, D.C., connected Feb. 2, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)

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"For excessively long, Americans person been ignored arsenic they sound nan siren astir plastics successful their drinking water. That ends today," Zeldin said. "By placing microplastics connected nan Contaminant Candidate List, for nan first clip ever, [the] EPA will travel nan science, prosecute answers and will clasp ourselves to nan highest standards to protect nan wellness of Americans."

Additionally, nan EPA released quality wellness benchmarks for astir 400 pharmaceuticals known to, aliases person nan imaginable to, hap successful drinking h2o — including antibiotics, antidepressants and hormones. 

While nan benchmarks are not enforceable regulations, Zeldin described them arsenic a "vital resource" to empower section decision-makers to measure risks and protect their communities.

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Medical experts astatine nan convention stressed nan staggering economic toll of integrative exposure.

"Just from nan fewer chemicals that we cognize about, nan United States wellness attraction costs publication of integrative vulnerability correct now is $250 billion," said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a pediatrician and head astatine NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "1.2% of our gross home merchandise goes retired nan model arsenic a consequence of toxic exposures that deduce from plastic. … We're astir apt underestimating nan scope of nan problem."