On April 6, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the draft of its sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) issued under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), including for the first time microplastics as a priority contaminant group. 91 Fed. Reg. 17186. Section 1412(b)(1)(B)(i) of SDWA, as amended in 1996, requires that EPA publish the CCL every five years. The contaminants on the List are not regulated under national primary drinking water regulations, but either occur or...
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December 16, 2025
Cracks in the Enamel: The Ascendance of Federal and State Action to Restrict Fluoride Use
Fluoride, well-known for its anticavity properties, has seen a growing number of state and federal initiatives seeking to limit or prohibit various uses of the substance. Federal agency heads, as well as top state officials, have expressed a strong interest in “taking action” against existing fluoride use in public drinking water and ingestible drug products. Evolution of Fluoride Regulation, Past to Present Fluoride has a long history of regulation in the United States. The U.S....
On April 28, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined upcoming Agency action to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). According to EPA’s announcement, “[i]n line with Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative, EPA’s work in this space will advance Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American, and Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership.” EPA states that these actions...
As part of a multi-agency effort to address pollution from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on October 18, 2021, the PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021-2024. The Strategic Roadmap includes: Timelines to set enforceable drinking water limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to ensure water is safe to drink in every community; A hazardous substance designation under the Comprehensive...
October 18, 2017
EPA Releases Quick Guide for Registering Disinfectant Products for Drinking Water Use
On October 17, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a “Quick Guide for Disinfectant Products for Drinking Water Use by Public Water Systems” (Quick Guide) which it states was developed “in response to requests to help prospective pesticide registrants gain a basic understanding of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) product registration process and how it relates to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements.” Further,...