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California just became the first state in the world to require water providers to monitor drinking water for microplastics. The State Water Resources Control Board approved the official Policy Handbook and now requires as many as 30 of the state’s largest water providers to launch two years of quarterly microplastics testing beginning in fall 2023, Cal Matters reported.
These new measures are in part an effort to determine where and how the microplastics are getting into California’s drinking water, as well as to establish a safe drinking level.
Water companies have opposed the bill because of how much the testing would cost them, and now they are seeking state funding to help cover the costs.
Earlier this year, California became the first U.S. state to make a thorough plan to eliminate microplastics. The comprehensive 22-step plan was set to prevent and intercept plastics from entering waterways and educate the public about their danger.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic debris, and according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, any plastic smaller than 5mm in length is microplastic.
Source: explainitychannel/Youtube
The size of microplastics makes them extremely dangerous and difficult to control. Cleaning up microplastics is almost impossible. Microplastics are found in waterways and even inside human and animal tissue. The issue is getting worse, and it’s reported that 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the planet’s oceans every year, and the number is predicted to triple by 2040.
Microplastics have been found everywhere, from Mount Everest to the depths of the oceans, and it’s even been found in the placentas of pregnant women. It’s more important now than ever to move away from single-use plastic. Not only is it horrible for the environment, but now studies like this are revealing how devastating they can be for human cells. Through food, the air, and other ways, we are constantly consuming tiny plastic particles.
Related Content:
- California Becomes First State with Plan to Combat Microplastics
- Microplastics Found in Placentas of Pregnant Women
- Microplastics Found in Meat, Milk, and The Blood of Livestock Animals, New Study Finds
- Nurdles: The Pesky Unregulated Microplastic That’s Killing Marine Life
- Microplastics Found Deep in Human Lungs For The First Time, New Study Finds
- New World Health Organization Report Reveals Cigarette Butts as Main Driver of Microplastic Pollution
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