Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. Existing law requires the state board to adopt a definition of microplastics in drinking water and to adopt a standard methodology to be used in the testing of drinking water for microplastics and requirements for 4 years of testing and reporting of microplastics in drinking water, including public disclosure of those results.

This bill would require the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to study the health effects of microplastics in drinking and bottled water to evaluate toxicity characteristics and levels of microplastics in water that are not anticipated to cause or contribute to adverse health effects, or to identify data gaps that would need to be addressed to establish those levels. The bill would require OEHHA to provide biennial status updates, and post a final report on its internet website. The bill would authorize the State Water Resources Control Board, after taking into consideration the findings of the report, to request that OEHHA prepare and publish a public health goal for microplastics in drinking water, as specified.