Bill Text: NJ SR99 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges EPA to adopt drinking water standard for microplastics and nanoplastics.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-13 - Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading [SR99 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-SR99-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator BOB SMITH
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Urges EPA to adopt drinking water standard for microplastics and nanoplastics.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging the EPA to adopt drinking water standards for microplastics and nanoplastics.
Whereas, Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters in length, about the size of a sesame seed, and nanoplastics, a subset of microplastics, are even smaller plastic particles less than one micrometer in length, which is about the size of a bacterium and small enough to be undetectable by the naked eye; and
Whereas, Microplastics and nanoplastics come from a variety of sources, some which are intentionally designed, such as microbeads, tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as an exfoliant to health and beauty products, including certain cleansers and toothpastes, though most are formed when larger pieces of plastic degrade into progressively smaller pieces; and
Whereas, Microplastics pass easily through water filtration systems and have been found in surface waters worldwide, including in ponds, rivers, and the ocean, and a recent study from Columbia University, which utilized lasers to identify plastic particles smaller than those that were previously detectable, found an average of 250,000 plastic particles in an average bottle of water, of which 90 percent were nanoplastics; and
Whereas, Nanoplastics are small enough to enter the bodies of humans, pass through the intestines and lungs, and enter the bloodstream, where they can travel to other organs, such as the heart and brain, invade individual cells, and even cross through the placenta to the bodies of unborn babies; and
Whereas, The World Health Organization (WHO) and the team which conducted the Columbia University study agree that bottled water is not the only source of microplastics and nanoplastics that enter human bodies; and
Whereas, Microplastics and nanoplastics are likely present in many other food products, such as meat due to plastic packaging, tap water, storm water, and even the air we breathe through synthetic textiles, construction materials, landfills, and more, and, as a result, humans likely ingest about a credit card sized amount of plastic a week; and
Whereas, Worldwide plastic production is approaching 400 million metric tons a year, and more than 30 million tons of plastic are dumped yearly in water or on land; and
Whereas, Plastic, unlike natural organic matter, does not change composition when it degrades, but divides and redivides into smaller and smaller particles of the same chemical composition for thousands of years, with no theoretical limit in size, and likely accumulates in the human body where it will remain until death; and
Whereas, Though there is limited human data on the health effects of microplastics and nanoplastics due to lack of research, some recent studies suggest that exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics can cause negative health effects in humans by causing oxidative stress, inflammation, immune dysfunction, altered biochemical and energy metabolism, impaired cell proliferation, disrupted microbial metabolic pathways, abnormal organ development, and carcinogenicity; and
Whereas, In 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced final drinking water standards for six individual perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which was the first time that drinking water standards have been finalized for a new chemical under the Safe Drinking Water Act since it was last updated in 1996; and
Whereas, The EPA should set water quality standards for acceptable levels of microplastics and nanoplastics in water, as it has recently done for PFAS, but the EPA has declined to do so, despite a 2019 petition signed by 280 environmental organizations, including the WHO, public health, indigenous, and community non-governmental organizations, urging for the update of plastics regulations under the federal Clean Water Act, which regulates the quality of, and discharges to, waters of the United States; and
Whereas, The EPA's lack of action has permitted the plastics industry to continue to operate under largely unchanged standards from the original passage of the Clean Water Act fifty years ago which fail to limit the widespread proliferation of microplastics and nanoplastics; and
Whereas, Due to the increase in plastic pollution, which has doubled between 2000 and 2019 and continues to rise, and preliminary research which suggests that the ingestion of microplastics and nanoplastics is detrimental to human health, the EPA should take action to set water quality standards for acceptable levels of microplastics and nanoplastics in water, as it has recently done for certain PFAS; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges the United States Environmental Protection Agency to set water quality standards for acceptable levels of microplastics and nanoplastics in drinking water.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Region 2 Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt drinking water standards for microplastics and nanoplastics. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that are less than five millimeters in length. Nanoplastics, a subset of microplastics, are even smaller plastic particles less than one micrometer in length, which is about the size of a bacterium and small enough to be undetectable by the naked eye. Microplastics and nanoplastics come from a variety of sources, some which are intentionally designed, such as microbeads, which are tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as an exfoliant to health and beauty products. However, most microplastics and nanoplastics are formed when larger pieces of plastic degrade into progressively smaller pieces.
Microplastics and nanoplastics pass easily through water filtration systems and have been found in surface waters worldwide. Nanoplastics are found in bottled water, and a recent study from Columbia University found an average of 250,000 plastic particles in an average bottle of water, of which 90 percent were nanoplastics. Microplastics and nanoplastics are likely present in many other food products, such as meat due to plastic packaging, tap water, storm water, and even the air we breathe through synthetic textiles, construction materials, and landfills. Nanoplastics are small enough to enter the bodies of humans, pass through the intestines and lungs, and enter directly into the bloodstream, where they can travel to other organs, such as the heart and brain, invade individual cells, and even cross through the placenta to the bodies of unborn babies.
Though there is limited human data on the health effects of microplastics and nanoplastics due to a lack of research, some recent studies suggest that exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics can cause negative health effects in humans by causing oxidative stress, inflammation, immune dysfunction, altered biochemical and energy metabolism, impaired cell proliferation, disrupted microbial metabolic pathways, abnormal organ development, and carcinogenicity. Plastic, unlike natural organic matter, does not change composition when it degrades, but divides and redivides into smaller and smaller particles of the same chemical composition for thousands of years, with no theoretical limit in size, and likely accumulates in the human body where it will remain until death.
In 2024, the EPA announced final drinking water standards for six individual perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances, which was the first time that drinking water standards have been finalized for a new chemical under the Safe Drinking Water Act since it was last updated in 1996. The EPA should set drinking water standards for acceptable levels of microplastics and nanoplastics in drinking water, as it has recently done for PFAS, but the EPA has declined to do so. Furthermore, a 2019 petition signed by 280 environmental organizations, including the WHO, public health, indigenous, and community non-governmental organizations, has urged the EPA to update plastics regulations under the Clean Water Act, which regulates the quality of, and discharges to, waters of the United States. The EPA's lack of action has permitted the plastics industry to continue to operate under largely unchanged standards from the original passage of the Clean Water Act fifty years ago which fail to limit the widespread proliferation of microplastics and nanoplastics.
