Officials sparks debate with proposed regulation that could impact wide range of everyday products: ‘The science is clear’

A California regulatory agency recently announced its intent to begin regulating products that could contribute to microplastics pollution.

The state’s ​​Department of Toxic Substances Control released a rulemaking package that proposes to add microplastics to the Candidate Chemicals List. This would allow the agency to evaluate products that contribute to microplastic pollution and would pave the way for future regulation of products that contain one or more candidate chemicals, provided they have been formally listed in the California Code of Regulations through rulemaking.

Microplastics are a growing problem across the globe, contaminating our air, water, soil, food, and bodies. While research about the health impacts of microplastic exposure is still ongoing, they have been linked to cancer, dementia, and impaired blood flow in the brain.

In addition, all this plastic waste — from larger plastics to microscopic microplastics — is an economic burden. According to the DTSC press release, California communities spent more than $428 million on plastic cleanup and control efforts in 2024. The doubling of debris in Orange County between 2016 and 2019 led to $414 million lost in tourism spending and the loss of more than 4,300 jobs.

That’s why a growing number of governments are looking for ways to reduce their plastic pollution. For instance, England and France have banned plastic cutlery for most fast food and takeout, and India banned a selection of single-use plastics in 2022.

You can help by avoiding single-use plastics as much as possible: carry a reusable water bottle, bring a reusable shopping bag to the store, and bring your own to-go containers when you dine out.

Meanwhile, researchers are also discovering new ways to clean up microplastics that are already in the environment. For instance, one group of researchers found a way to remove them from farm soil using a type of processed farm waste.

“The science is clear: Microplastic pollution poses a growing threat to our environment, our health, and our planet,” DTSC Director Katherine Butler stated. “Adding microplastics to the Candidate Chemicals List is the first step to finding safer alternatives to these substances that are found just about everywhere on Earth.”

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