EPA chief Lee Zeldin and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday announced action to ensure that America’s drinking water is safe from microplastics, pharmaceuticals, forever chemicals, and other contaminants that may harm Americans.

“For too long, Americans have vocalized concerns about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. That ends today,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a written statement. “By placing microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the Contaminant Candidate List for the first time ever, EPA is sending a clear message: We will follow the science, we will pursue answers, and we will hold ourselves to the highest standards to protect the health of every American family.”

The EPA is now drafting its Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL), which the agency is releasing for public comment, as a critical tool under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that would drive research, funding, and future decisions in public water systems.

The EPA explained in a press release:

The draft CCL 6 includes four contaminant groups — microplastics, pharmaceuticals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and disinfection byproducts — as well as 75 chemicals and nine microbes that may be found in drinking water. For the first time in the program’s history, EPA is designating both microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminant groups — a direct response to the concerns of millions of Americans who have long demanded answers about what they and their families are drinking every day. The CCL helps prioritize funding, research, and information collection to better understand the potential health risks of these substances in drinking water while advancing the agency’s commitment to gold standard science.

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that have been detected in human blood, breast milk, and organs and now have been designated an EPA drinking water priority.

Pharmaceuticals, including antidepressants, hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs enter water systems through human waste and improper disposal.

The EPA will now enter a 60-day comment period to which Americans can submit their opinions.

The SDWA requires the agency to publish a list of contaminants every five years that are not subject to any proposed national primary drinking water regulations.