PECI staff in the news - Microplastics regulations

Local author Zoë Read recently published a piece in WHYY featuring commentary from Dr. Samantha McBride on NJ Governor Phil Murphy's push for microplastics monitoring in public drinking water. Currently, there are no federal regulations for microplastics in tap water and most water providers aren't equipped to test for them. You can read the full article here: https://whyy.org/articles/nj-gov-phil-murphy-delaware-matt-meyer-microplastics-regulations-petition/ 

Initial results from PECI and predecessor projects suggest that microplastics in tap water are significantly lower compared to single-use plastic bottled water. However, the amount of plastics within tap water will change based on a given municipality's source water quality, their specific treatment process, and potentially even the age of PVC pipes within their distribution network. The potential impact of PVC shedding is currently under-explored. Because microplastic fragmentation may occur in situ during transit of the water from the treatment plant to consumers, testing at the plant itself may not reveal the full extent of plastics within drinking water.

As of March 2026, our student fellows have finished sampling of several locations around Philadelphia including tap water from publicly accessible areas (parks, schools, libraries, etc). Microplastics analysis will occur shortly, and we will make these results publicly available once we have them. If we discover high concentrations in tap water sources (unlikely based on preliminary findings, but we won't know until we test!), we will share these results with local policy makers to inform the ongoing debate on regulations for microplastics in tap water.

Testing is only the beginning. There are still many open scientific questions on what levels are harmful, best methods for removing them (especially for nanoplastics), and how to best protect our communities from potential impact.