2026-04-02 18:05 UTC / 路透社
作者：瓦莱丽·沃尔科维奇
2026年4月2日 美国东部时间下午6:05 UTC 更新于9分钟前
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[1/4] 美国环境保护署（EPA）署长李·泽尔丁2026年4月2日在华盛顿特区EPA总部就微塑料问题发布公告时旁听。路透社/肯·塞德诺摄
华盛顿4月2日（路透社）——美国环境保护署与卫生与公众服务部周四宣布，将监测微塑料和药物残留对饮用水的影响，这是评估其健康风险并制定新政策的第一步。
EPA署长李·泽尔丁与卫生部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪称赞这一联合公告是唐纳德·特朗普总统“让美国再次健康”议程的胜利，该议程的优先事项包括减少推荐的儿童疫苗接种数量，并在新的膳食指南中推广全食物。
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EPA将把微塑料和药物残留纳入第六批污染物候选名单，这意味着它们将根据《安全饮用水法案》开始接受检测和监测，并获得研究资金。如果后续确定它们对公共供水系统构成威胁，这将成为未来监管的前兆。
“我们无法治理无法监测的对象，也无法监管不了解的事物，”肯尼迪在EPA总部的新闻发布会上表示。
泽尔丁与EPA此前曾遭到“让美国再次健康”活动人士的批评，称其未能解决包括微塑料在内的相关问题，也未对农药实施更严格的规定。
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“长久以来，美国人就饮用水中的塑料问题发出警报却被忽视。今天这种情况结束了，”泽尔丁在新闻发布会上说道。
支持小肯尼迪及其“让美国再次健康”纲领的选民帮助唐纳德·特朗普在2024年当选总统。
此举源于请愿活动
去年年底，包括新泽西州和密歇根州在内的七个美国州的州长，以及175个环境与健康组织联合提交了法律请愿书，呼吁EPA将微塑料纳入监测污染物名单。该名单每五年更新一次。
微塑料是微小的塑料碎片，在人体内部、饮用水、海洋深处乃至北极冰盖中均有发现。部分研究将其与癌症或生殖健康损害联系起来。
塑料行业团体驳斥了这些研究，称有关微塑料危害的科学定论尚未形成。
“超越塑料”组织主席、前EPA区域署长朱迪思·恩克表示，EPA的举措是“重要的第一步”。
代表塑料制造商的美国化学理事会负责监管与科学事务的副总裁金伯利·怀斯·怀特表示，该组织支持以科学为依据对饮用水中的微塑料进行监测。
小肯尼迪在竞选2024年民主党总统提名期间曾承诺解决塑料污染问题，包括塑料生产环节。他后来背书了共和党候选人特朗普，而特朗普政府去年曾警告各国反对在限制塑料污染的联合国条约中设定塑料生产上限的任何尝试。
药物残留通过不当处置和人类排泄物进入供水系统。
EPA还将发布针对374种待监测药物的人类健康基准值。
瓦莱丽·沃尔科维奇在华盛顿报道；莉亚·道格拉斯补充报道；大卫·格雷戈里奥编辑
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US agencies to monitor drinking water for microplastics, pharmaceuticals
2026-04-02 18:05 UTC / Reuters
By Valerie Volcovici
April 2, 2026 6:05 PM UTC Updated 9 mins ago
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[1/4]Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin looks on during an announcement on microplastics at the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced that they will monitor the impact of microplastics and pharmaceuticals on drinking water, the first step toward assessing their health risks and shaping new policies.
The joint announcement was hailed by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as a win for President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, whose priorities have included reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccines and promoting whole foods in new dietary guidelines.
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The EPA will now include microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the sixth Contaminant Candidate List, which would mean they would start being tested and monitored under the Safe Drinking Water Act and receive funding for research, a precursor to future regulation if they are determined to threaten public water systems.
“We cannot treat what we cannot measure. We cannot regulate what we don’t understand,” Kennedy said at a press conference at EPA headquarters.
Zeldin and the EPA have drawn criticism from MAHA activists for falling short on addressing their concerns, including microplastics, and not applying more stringent rules on pesticides.
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“For too long, Americans have been ignored as they sound the alarm about plastics in their drinking water. That ends today,” Zeldin said at the press conference.
Supporters of RFK, Jr. and his MAHA platform helped elect President Donald Trump in 2024.
MOVE FOLLOWS PETITION
Seven U.S. governors from states including New Jersey and Michigan as well as 175 environmental and health groups late last year filed a legal petition calling on the EPA to add microplastics to the list of contaminants to monitor. The list is updated every five years.
Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that have been discovered everywhere from inside human bodies to drinking water to the depths of oceans and Arctic ice. Some studies have linked them to cancers or reproductive harm.
Plastic industry groups have dismissed these studies and said the science is not settled concerning the harms caused by microplastics.
Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and former EPA regional administrator, said the EPA’s move is “an important first step.”
Kimberly Wise White, vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic manufacturers, said the group supports science-driven monitoring of drinking water for microplastics.
When Kennedy ran for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, he pledged to tackle plastic pollution, including its production. He later endorsed Republican candidate Trump, whose administration last year warned countries to oppose any attempt to cap plastic production under a potential UN treaty to limit plastic pollution.
Pharmaceuticals enter water systems through improper disposal and human waste.
The EPA will also release human health benchmarks for 374 pharmaceuticals to be monitored.
Reporting by Valerie Volcovici in Washington; Additional reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by David Gregorio
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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