EPA to screen drinking water for more than 1,400 potential contaminants, including abortion drugs
Caroline MolloyThe Environmental Protection Agency announced Sept. 9 that a new study will screen drinking-water samples for more than 1,400 potential contaminants using a broad analytical method rather than testing only for a small predetermined group of chemicals.
The EPA’s screening library includes mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs commonly used together in medication abortion. It also includes more than 1,000 pesticides and pesticide metabolites, more than 250 pharmaceuticals and personal-care products, more than 70 PFAS compounds, and other emerging contaminants.
The agency said samples will be collected from several locations in different metropolitan areas. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the study is intended to identify possible pollutants that may not be captured by conventional targeted testing.
The announcement followed attention to a July preprint in which researchers reported anti-progesterone activity in drinking-water samples from three U.S. cities and expressed the measurements as “mifepristone equivalents.” The researchers said additional testing would be needed to identify the source and evaluate any health significance.
The EPA study therefore should not be read as a finding that abortion drugs are present in U.S. drinking water at harmful levels. It is a screening effort designed to determine what compounds may be present and whether further investigation is warranted.
