The Environmental Transformation Podcast with Sean Grady · 2026-04-28 · 35 min
Microplastics appear on a federal contaminant watchlist for the first time, and the regulatory path forward remains far from certain. Megan Quinn , senior reporter at Waste Dive , breaks down what the EPA's proposed new Contaminant Candidate List 6 actually means for water utilities, landfill operators, and chemical manufacturers, and why the lack of standardized test methods could slow any future regulation significantly. Quinn explains how the CCL process works, who sits on the newly reshuffled Science Advisory Board, and why the parallel push from the MAHA movement adds political complexity to what is otherwise a science-driven process. The conversation draws on direct parallels to how PFAS moved through the regulatory pipeline over more than a decade, from early CCL listings to drinking water standards to hazardous substance designations, offering a framework for understanding how microplastics and newly listed pharmaceuticals might follow a similar, lengthy trajectory.
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