April 3, 2026 – Leaders of federal agencies on Thursday announced two actions they say are aimed at protecting Americans from the potential dangers of microplastics.

Microplastics are widespread in water and in farm soils, where they can alter soil biology and be taken up by plants. They have been found in fruits and vegetables, seafood, honey, beer, and other foods. The food system is also a source of contamination: Farms use plastic that can shed the particles, and food and beverage companies are a leading source of plastic pollution.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now launched a $144 million research program—called STOMP: Systematic Targeting Of Microplastics—which will be run out of its Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

“Americans deserve clear answers about how microplastics in their bodies affect their health, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a press release. “Through ARPA-H’s STOMP program, we will measure microplastic exposure, identify sources of risk, and develop targeted solutions to reduce it.”

Scientists and public health advocates have been calling for more research into microplastics and human health, since the science is new and the compounds are already ubiquitous in human bodies.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added microplastics to a draft of the Contaminant Candidate List 6 (CCL), EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced. That would put microplastics on a list of contaminants that are not currently regulated in drinking water.

Judith Enck, the president of Beyond Plastics, called the move an “important first step.” “I applaud this decision by the EPA and urge the agency to move rapidly to not only regulate microplastics in drinking water but to also prevent microplastics from entering our water supplies,” she said in a statement.

But other experts say the listing is unlikely to lead to regulations. In March, the EPA decided not to set regulations for nine chemicals already on the list, including the insecticides tribufos and ethoprop, which are part of a highly toxic class of pesticides called organophosphates.

And over the past year, the agency has repeatedly asserted its commitment to deregulation, rolling back rules that limited other pollutants in water, including forever chemicals, waste from meatpacking plants, and mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. (Link to this post.)

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