The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Thursday (April 2) a new $144 million national program to investigate the presence and impact of microplastics on the human body. The initiative, called Systemic Targeting of MicroPlastics (STOMP), brings together toxicologists, data scientists, and other experts to create standardized tools for detecting and quantifying microplastics in people, study their health effects, and develop ways to remove them from the body.
At a press event in Washington, D.C., HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described the urgent need for the program, citing rising concentrations of plastic particles found in human organs. He pointed to research showing plastic particles in human blood, lungs, livers, kidneys, and every placenta tested to date. Kennedy also highlighted a recent clinical study linking microplastics in arterial plaque to a 450% higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death within three years.
“We are not dealing with a distant or theoretical risk. We are dealing with a measurable and growing presence inside the human body,” Kennedy stated.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is partnering with HHS in this effort. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that, for the first time, microplastics and pharmaceuticals will be included on the agency’s Contaminant Candidate List, a key step toward possible drinking water regulation.
“By placing microplastics on the Contaminant Candidate List, for the first time ever, the EPA will follow the science, pursue answers and will hold ourselves to the highest standards to protect the health of Americans,” Zeldin said.
Dr. Alicia Jackson, who leads the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, explained that the STOMP program aims to develop a clinical test for microplastics that costs less than $50 and delivers results in under 15 minutes, making it accessible to everyone in the United States.
“STOMP will do, in five years, what the entire field has been unable to do for decades,” Jackson said.
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