EPA designates microplastics, pharmaceuticals as priority contaminants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released for public comment a draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6) that includes microplastics and pharmaceuticals for the first time.

The draft list was announced at an event by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin along with a set of actions to safeguard the nation’s drinking water from microplastics, pharmaceuticals, forever chemicals and dozens of other contaminants. Zeldin was joined at the event with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Contaminant Candidate List a critical tool under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that drives research, funding and decisions on regulating threats in public water systems.

The draft CCL 6 includes four contaminant groups — microplastics, pharmaceuticals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and disinfection byproducts — as well as 75 chemicals and nine microbes that may be found in drinking water.

For the first time in the program’s history, EPA is designating both microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminant groups. EPA said it is a direct response to the “concerns of millions of Americans who have long demanded answers about what they and their families are drinking every day.”

Microplastics: State of the Science and Future Perspective

Specifically, the CCL helps prioritize funding, research, and information collection to better understand the potential health risks of these substances in drinking water while advancing the agency’s commitment to gold standard science.

“For too long, Americans have vocalized concerns about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. That ends today,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “By placing microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the Contaminant Candidate List for the first time ever, EPA is sending a clear message: we will follow the science, we will pursue answers, and we will hold ourselves to the highest standards to protect the health of every American family.”

For years, Americans have sounded the alarm about the potential for silent threats to lurk in America’s drinking water. EPA said these new actions take concrete steps to safeguard drinking water:  

• Microplastics — tiny plastic particles that have been detected in human blood, breast milk, and organs — are now officially on EPA’s radar as a drinking water priority. This is the first time the agency has elevated microplastics to the CCL as a contaminant group, unlocking focused research and potential future regulation.
• Pharmaceuticals, including antidepressants, hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs that enter water systems through human waste and improper disposal — are also being prioritized as a group for the first time. EPA is simultaneously releasing human health benchmarks for 374 pharmaceuticals, giving states, Tribes, and local water systems a critical new tool to assess risk and take action when drug residues are found at concerning levels.

Next Steps

Publication of the draft CCL 6 in the Federal Register will open a 60-day public comment period. Americans are encouraged to make their voices heard by submitting comments to docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0946 at regulations.gov. EPA will also consult with its independent Science Advisory Board before finalizing the list, which is expected to be signed by Nov. 17, 2026.

The SDWA requires EPA to publish a list of contaminants every five years that are not subject to any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water regulation, that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems, and that may require regulation. The CCL is the first step in the SDWA regulatory process.

The human health benchmarks for pharmaceuticals are not regulations and are not enforceable on their own, but they are a vital resource, empowering local decision-makers to evaluate risks and protect their communities when pharmaceutical contamination is detected at concerning levels.

For more information about Contaminant Candidate Lists, visit EPA’s CCL website.

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