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

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

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin elaborate the urgency of the 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 illustration of tested quality placentas. "We are not dealing with a distant oregon theoretical risk. We are dealing with a measurable and increasing beingness wrong the quality body. And the awesome is getting stronger."

He added that the attraction of plastics successful the 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 the Marine Institute of Plymouth Professor Richard Thompson analyses nurdles and different micro-plastics acknowledgment to a microscope. (Ben Stansall/AFP)

Kennedy besides highlighted a objective survey revealing that patients with microplastics detected successful their arterial plaque look a 450% higher hazard of bosom attack, changeable oregon decease wrong 3 years. 

"We bash not disregard signals similar that," helium said. "We investigate."

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

A survey recovered that overmuch of the Earth's pat h2o is contaminated with microplastic fibers. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)

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

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

On the biology front, Zeldin announced the merchandise of the draught Sixth Contaminant Candidate ListSixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), which includes 75 chemicals, 4 chemic groups — microplastics, pharmaceuticals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), on with 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 dependable the alarm astir plastics successful their drinking water. That ends today," Zeldin said. "By placing microplastics connected the Contaminant Candidate List, for the archetypal clip ever, [the] EPA volition travel the science, prosecute answers and volition clasp ourselves to the highest standards to support the wellness of Americans."

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

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

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Medical experts astatine the league stressed the staggering economical toll of integrative exposure.

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