U.S. plastics response falls short as Americans face widespread chemical exposure

Source: Greenpeace Statement –

Campaigners visit James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu Island to document and bear witness to plastic pollution. Greenpeace tracked plastic found in the ocean, communities, and shorelines back to the companies that produce it. The activity was part of Greenpeace’s visit with the Arctic Sunrise ship.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 2, 2026 ) — Despite its stated commitment to improving Americans’ health, the Trump administration has repeatedly favored the petrochemical sector while weakening basic safeguards that protect people from toxic chemicals, including weakening formaldehyde cancer standards, rolling back air pollution monitoring requirements, and reducing enforcement of environmental laws.

In response to the Trump Administration’s announcement of its STOMP program to ‘systematically target’ microplastics, Sybil Bullock, Greenpeace USA Senior Oceans Campaigner, said: “Microplastics are polluting our bodies, damaging human cells and tissues. While we need microplastics out of our water, the Trump administration’s announcement of more research is not leadership, it’s more of the same—another gift to the very industries that are making Americans sick. The science is clear: plastics contain over 16,000 chemicals, many of which are harmful to human health. Adding microplastics to a list without committing to take action puts present and future generations at risk. The only way to Make America Healthy Again is to cut plastic production and eliminate hazardous chemicals from food packaging and everyday products. They cannot claim to prioritize health while expanding oil and gas—the same systems fueling plastic production and chemical exposure.

Bullock continued: “Every day, roughly 10,000 babies are born in the United States — already at risk of exposure to plastics and harmful chemicals before they even take their first breath. No one should have to live like this, exposed from the very start of life with no way to opt out. Health officials and advocates across the political spectrum know these exposures damage our health throughout childhood and every stage of life. Microplastics have been found in the air we breathe, the food we eat, in our organs, and in our blood. This is unacceptable — Americans should not be treated as collateral damage for the oil and gas industry’s profits.”

Fenceline communities, those living next to oil, gas, and petrochemical facilities, bear a disproportionate burden of toxic pollution and related health risks. Yet they continue to face the threat of industry expansion, as recent federal actions have accelerated permitting, increased drilling approvals, and fast-tracked new oil and gas infrastructure projects.

Jo Banner, Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Descendants Project, said: “Plastic is like a fire raging through a building. From its top floor, starting with extraction and production, to its bottom floor of waste management, addressing the issue of microplastics is like attempting to extinguish the flames while the structure collapses, burying the health of frontline communities, such as my community in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, in its ash and rubble.”

Contacts:

Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, [email protected]

Greenpeace USA Press Desk: [email protected]

Greenpeace USA (inc.) is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.