New Jersey AG renews call for EPA to require nationwide monitoring of microplastics in drinking water
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport is again urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require nationwide monitoring for microplastics in public drinking water systems.
Davenport led a comment letter joined by 12 other attorneys general asking the EPA to include microplastics in the final version of its sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, known as UCMR 6.
The latest request follows two previous multistate efforts led by New Jersey seeking federal monitoring of microplastics.
“We are still learning the extent of the health risks posed to all of us by microplastics, and to respond appropriately we need more data,” said Attorney General Davenport. “Given that kids are particularly at risk from exposure to these tiny plastic fragments, it is especially important that the EPA require greater data collection and monitoring to inform further action to protect public health.”
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA regularly publishes lists of unregulated contaminants through the UCMR and Contaminant Candidate List. The UCMR allows the agency to collect data on the frequency and occurrence of 30 contaminants in public water systems, while the candidate list identifies contaminants for additional research and potential regulation but does not require monitoring or data collection.
In November 2025, then-Gov. Phil Murphy led a petition signed by six other governors asking the EPA to add microplastics to the forthcoming draft of UCMR 6.
Davenport followed in June 2026 with a letter joined by 14 other attorneys general that supported the EPA’s inclusion of microplastics on the draft Contaminant Candidate List 6 and called for their inclusion in UCMR 6.
However, the draft UCMR 6 published July 1 did not include microplastics.
“New Jersey urges the federal government to do the right thing by requiring national testing to better understand the impact pollution from microplastics is having on the safety of our drinking water,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak said. “Pollution from microplastics is widespread in the environment — and our understanding of the potential public health consequences is rapidly expanding, especially for children. By conducting microplastics monitoring across the nation, we will be able to develop strategies and standards to protect the health of all Americans.”
The latest letter asks the EPA to reconsider its proposal and add microplastics to the final UCMR 6 so nationwide information on their frequency and occurrence can be collected for future research and potential regulatory action.
New Jersey officials argue that without inclusion in the monitoring rule, research will be hampered by a lack of consistent nationwide definitions, testing methods and requirements for monitoring and collecting data.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA must include a contaminant in the UCMR when requested through a petition from at least seven governors unless the agency determines doing so would prevent the inclusion of other contaminants posing a greater public health concern. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the EPA did not make such a determination when it published the draft UCMR 6 without microplastics.
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters and can be as small as 1 nanometer. They can contain polymers and chemical additives that originated in plastic products or were absorbed from the surrounding environment.
Research cited by the state indicates microplastics are present in water, air and land and have been detected throughout human organ systems, including the brain. Depending on their size and shape, the particles may cause cellular or tissue damage and can also carry toxic chemicals into the body, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Joining New Jersey in the latest letter are the attorneys general of Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Vermont, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
