- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published its proposed Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6) for drinking water, adding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics, and other hazards.
- The drinking water CCL lists contaminants that are not currently subject to primary drinking water regulations but are known or anticipated to be in public water systems. Substances added to the list are not subject to any immediate requirements but instead are identified as priority contaminants for potential future regulation.
- CCL 6 includes four chemical groups—including PFAS and microplastics—75 chemicals, and nine microbes. According to the Federal Register Notice, the PFAS group includes chemicals that contain at least one of three specific structures; listing the PFAS group is intended to signify EPA’s “commitment to prioritizing and building a strong foundation of science on PFAS.”
- The Notice also states that inclusion of microplastics on the list is a “first step toward defining and better understanding potential public health risk from exposure via drinking water” and identifies four data gaps requiring further research.
- Both PFAS and microplastics received public nominations for inclusion on CCL 6. EPA is seeking comments on the proposed CCL 6 at regulations.gov under docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0946.
- In addition to EPA’s announcement of CCL 6, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the Systematic Targeting of MicroPlastics (STOMP) initiative to “create the definitive toolbox for measuring, researching, and affordably removing microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in the human body. STOMP will focus on developing measurement methods to understand microplastics in the human body and mitigate any harm caused.
- Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor updates related to PFAS and microplastics.