Microplastics

• A EPA classificou microplásticos e antidepressivos como contaminantes da água potável, respondendo à mobilização do movimento MAHA e às preocupações de saúde pública. • A classificação marca um passo regulatório significativo na abordagem de contaminantes emergentes nos suprimentos de água dos EUA que têm gerado preocupação entre especialistas em saúde e defensores ambientais. • A designação pode impulsionar futuras ações regulatórias para estabelecer padrões de água potável e requisitos de tratamento para essas substâncias.

Proposal, a win for RFK Jr’s Maha movement, is a ‘first step’ toward tackling plastic pollution, advocates sayThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed on Thursday to include microplastics and pharmaceuticals on a list of contaminants in drinking water for the first time, a step that could lead to new limits on those substances for water utilities.Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, said they are responding to Americans who have worried about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. The gesture also aims to hand a win to health secretary Robert FKennedy Jr’s Maha movement, which for months has pressured Zeldin to further crack down on environmental contaminants. Continue reading...

• Rice University's Baker Institute released a commentary by Rachel A. Meidl examining scientific evidence linking microplastics exposure to fertility issues amid sensational headlines. • The review highlights current peer-reviewed studies on human microplastics exposure levels, absorption mechanisms, and potential reproductive health effects in the US population. • Findings underscore gaps in long-term data, urging cautious interpretation of preliminary animal studies while calling for more rigorous human trials to assess real-world risks.

Microplastics have been found accumulating everywhere from our water to our body tissues, but many of the claims have come under fresh scrutiny. Chelsea Whyte cuts through the research to tell you whether you really need to worry