releases: https://bynum.house.gov/media/press-releases/bynum-urges-epa-monitor-microplastics-americas-drinking-water
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://bynum.house.gov/media/press-releases/bynum-urges-epa-monitor-microplastics-americas-drinking-water | Bynum Urges EPA to Monitor Microplastics in America's Drinking Water | 2026-07-01 | 2026 | 2026-07 | Democrat | House | OR | Janelle S. Bynum | B001326 | bynum.house.gov | bynum | https://bynum.house.gov/media/press-releases | scraper | Yesterday, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led a bicameral letter, joined by 53 of their colleagues, urging Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to add microplastics to the agency's recently published Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6). The lawmakers argue that EPA should begin monitoring microplastics in America's drinking water, citing a growing body of research linking the emerging contaminant to serious adverse health effects. Earlier this Congress, Rep. Bynum introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Microplastics Safety Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a study on the health impacts of microplastics in food, water, and other products. The legislation is a critical step forward in better understanding the threat of microplastics to human health. In the letter, the lawmakers write: "As plastic production continues to expand rapidly, microplastics pose a potential threat to public health in the United States. Emerging research demonstrates that microplastics are now pervasive in the human body and are associated with serious adverse health effects. Concentrations of microplastics in human brain tissue have been reported to increase by nearly 50 percent between 2016 and 2024." Later in the letter, they write: "Accordingly, we urge the EPA to add microplastics to UCMR 6 and to design a robust, nationwide monitoring program for microplastics in drinking water. Doing so will provide critical transparency regarding exposure, inform future health-protective standards under SDWA, and help ensure that the federal government meets its responsibility to protect the health and safety of the American people." | 1 | 2026-07-08T07:27:19Z | 2026-07-08T07:28:28Z |