Local Senator’s Bill Mandating Microplastic Study in Drinking Water Advances in California Senate Committee

State Sen. Anthony J. Portantino, who represents Pasadena, has authored a bill mandating the study of microplastics’ health impacts in drinking water. The Senate Environmental Quality Committee approved the bill this week.

By filing SB 1147, Portantino seeks to emphasize the need for further research and action in addressing the pervasive presence of microplastics in various environmental elements.

“SB 1147 is an important public health measure that will increase the safety of our drinking water,” Portantino said in a statement. “Microplastics have been identified in rain, drinking water, soil, and air. That’s why more research and action is necessary to understand how to deal with their impact on our health.”

The bill’s provisions include a requirement for all water-bottling plants producing bottled water for sale to provide an annual report to the State Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug branch on microplastic levels found in their source water. This data, as mandated by the bill, aims to enhance transparency and consumer awareness regarding the presence of microplastics in bottled water, a product consumed widely across California.

SB 1147 also tasks the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) with conducting a thorough investigation into the presence of microplastics in drinking water from both bottled and tap water sources.

The OEHHA is further mandated to establish a standard methodology for testing and reporting microplastics, as well as to adopt primary drinking water standards to ensure the safety of California’s water supply.

Nick Lapis, Director of Advocacy for Californians Against Waste, said research is increasingly showing that the rapid growth of microplastics presents an existential threat to human health and the environment.

“This measure builds on the pioneering work of Senator Portantino’s SB 1422 and SB 1263 to go beyond testing and planning to actually adopt protective standards for the water we drink, and it can’t come fast enough,” Lapis said.

SB 1422 requires annual testing for the presence of microplastics in drinking water and the public disclosure of test results. SB 1263 requires the California Ocean Protection Council to create a long-term Statewide Microplastics Strategy. Both of these previous bills were signed into law in 2018.

SB 1147 has garnered widespread support from environmental advocacy groups, including California Environmental Voters, Californians Against Waste, A Voice For Choice Advocacy, and the California State Coalition of the Climate Reality Project