Microplastics: The Current State of the Regulations and Science  

Microplastics have been found in air, soil, wildlife, and human blood and lung tissue, yet studies are just beginning to uncover potential human health effects such as internal inflammation and reproductive effects. One international study found that 80% of drinking water samples from 14 countries across 5 continents had microplastics in them. Based upon these and other findings, and little information on the extent of the problem within the state, California became the first government in the world to require monitoring for microplastics in drinking water. This policy motivated rapid scientific work to define microplastics and to develop standard methods to measure them in source water.