Researchers reported finding microplastics in drinking water nearly 5 years ago, prompting California lawmakers to require monitoring of the state’s drinking water for the tiny particles. But in 2018, there were no standard methods for analyzing microplastics. So California regulators reached out to chemists and toxicologists from all sectors to develop those methods. They also sought assistance in developing a health-based limit to help consumers understand what the monitoring results mean for their health. In this episode of Stereo Chemistry, we will hear from some of the scientists leading those groundbreaking efforts.

A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/41g6uPa.

Credits

Executive producer/host: Kerri Jansen

Writer: Britt Erickson

Audio editor: Mark Feuer DiTusa

Story editors: Jyllian Kemsley, Michael McCoy, Ariana Remmel

Audience editor: Dorea I. Reeser

Copyeditor: Sabrina Ashwell, Heather Holt

Logo design: William A. Ludwig

Episode artwork: Shutterstock

Music (in order of appearance): “The Process” by Kevin Graham, “Goodness Gracious” by Louis Adrien

Contact Stereo Chemistry: Tweet at us @cenmag or email cenfeedback@acs.org.