Health
RFK Jr, EPA chief ‘declare war’ on microplastics amid growing evidence of health risks
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Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are declaring a war on microplastics.
These tiny bits of plastic, which are less than 5 mm in size, can persist in our environment for hundreds or thousands of years. They may also build up in our bodies, our hearts and our brains, causing untold damage.
For the first time, the EPA is adding microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its Contaminant Candidate List for drinking water, which will help to prioritize funding and pave the way for potential future regulation involving Congress.
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HHS is also launching the Systematic Targeting of Microplastics — or STOMP — to study how microplastics accumulate in the body.
Kennedy spoke with Fox News in an exclusive interview accompanying the EPA/HHS announcement.
“Microplastics, which are less than 5 mm in size, can persist in the environment for hundreds or thousands of years,” said Dr. Marc Siegel. “They may also build up in our bodies, our hearts and our brains, causing untold damage. (iStock)
“We do not have the science that distinguishes between the impacts of these different types of plastics, and maybe if we identify those impacts, the damaging ones can be immediately eliminated, because you can replace them with something else,” he said.
“Our job — and we are really at the limit of our power right now — is to try to answer those questions before we take another action.”
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Kennedy pointed to emerging science suggesting microplastics’ direct impacts on public health.
“Some of them may be benign – others are very, very harmful,” he warned. “The science shows if they cause inflammation, they cause oxidative stress.”
“As a body, they are endocrine disruptors, so they interfere with fertility,” he added.
For the first time, the EPA is adding microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its Contaminant Candidate List for drinking water, which will help to prioritize funding and pave the way for potential future regulation involving Congress. (iStock)
As emerging research suggests a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and neurodegenerative disease when microplastics are present at the cellular level, “the time to act is now,” according to Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a professor of pediatrics and population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
During a panel accompanying the announcement, Trasande compared the issue to efforts to reduce lead exposure in the 1970s, when the government took action as soon as the danger was identified, even before all research was complete.
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Kennedy, who has a long history of fighting chemicals in the environment, blames big businesses for causing the problem and wants them to clean it up. “That’s a lesson we are all supposed to have learned at kindergarten – that you clean up after yourself, you don’t force the public to do it.”
The same approach applies to pharmaceuticals that make their way into the environment, he noted.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin holds a microplastic sample during an announcement at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2026. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
“Particularly for our children, it’s very alarming. They are swimming around now in a toxic soup. It’s coming from everywhere,” Kennedy warned. “It’s coming from their food. It’s coming from agriculture. It’s coming from the air and water, and it’s coming from pharmaceutical drugs.
“Lee has directed his agency under President Trump to do this study so we can start regulating the discharge of these chemicals,” he went on. “A lot of them you can remove through carbon technology and other technologies.”
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Administrator Zeldin said he believes the fight against microplastics is a bipartisan issue. He is calling for more education and transparency when it comes to microplastics and public health, cautioning against the federal government proposing a one-size-fits-all solution.
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“You want to be able to get the answers, you want to see the gold-standard science,” he said. “You demand radical transparency. You’re looking through the website, and it’s ignoring what you came to that web page to look for. I feel like there’s a communication gap – and when there’s a communication gap, there’s a trust gap.”
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin speaks alongside HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the microplastics announcement at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2026. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
Zeldin and Kennedy have been working closely under President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda and say they enjoy working together.
“There’s no American in this country who can’t get heard somehow by Secretary Kennedy, and it’s just an honor to serve alongside him,” Zeldin said.
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Kennedy added, “I like everybody in that Cabinet, but Lee and I work with particular closeness, and I’ve really enjoyed the relationship.”
It is clear they would like this relationship to continue, even if their roles change. “You never know what’s going to happen,” Kennedy said.
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A popular antipsychotic medication was found to reduce obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – but it also led to impaired driving the next morning.
That’s according to a small randomized controlled trial published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, conducted the study in 15 adults with OSA who also had difficulty maintaining sleep. Each participant underwent two overnight sleep studies approximately one week apart, according to a press release.
Researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, conducted the study in 15 adults with OSA who also had difficulty maintaining sleep. Each participant underwent two overnight sleep studies approximately one week apart. (iStock)
The participants took 50mg of quetiapine (Seroquel) before bed one night, and took a placebo the following night.
Quetiapine is a widely prescribed antipsychotic that is prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. It is also often used off-label at lower doses to treat insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues.
NEW HEALTH WARNING ISSUED OVER POPULAR SLEEP AID MILLIONS TAKE NIGHTLY
The researchers monitored the participants throughout the night, looking at their breathing, brain activity, oxygen levels and leg movements.
A female driver yawns while sitting behind the wheel, illustrating the concept of falling asleep at the wheel. (iStock)
The participants who took the quetiapine had more than 40 minutes more total sleep time and 45% less wakefulness during the night, the study found. Their apnea-related events also reduced from 27 to 20 events per hour.
Despite these improvements, the drug appeared to slow reaction time behind the wheel compared to those taking a placebo. This was based on a driving simulator test and a 10-minute reaction time test, administered within 30 minutes of waking up.
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Those taking quetiapine experienced more than triple the number of attention lapses and swerved out of their lane more often in the driving simulator.
Eleven out of 15 of the participants reported feeling sleepier the morning after taking the medication, but roughly one in four people did not recognize their level of impairment. This was concerning because they may be more likely to operate a vehicle or machinery without realizing their reaction time had slowed.
Other mild to moderate side effects included nausea, restless legs and a sudden blood pressure drop upon standing. (iStock)
Other mild to moderate side effects included nausea, restless legs and a sudden blood pressure drop upon standing, which affected one in three people taking quetiapine.
The study did have some limitations, including the small sample size, the authors noted. The participants were only evaluated for one night, and the study’s laboratory setting may not reflect the participants’ real-world use.
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Larger, longer-term studies are needed to confirm the findings before making decisions about prescribing quetiapine for sleep apnea and insomnia, the researchers said.
Pending follow-up studies, the researchers recommend that people avoid driving or other safety-critical tasks for at least 9.5 hours after taking quetiapine.
Women generally metabolize these drugs more slowly than men, which can influence both efficacy and the risk of next-day side effects, an expert said. (iStock)
Ashley Curtis, PhD, director of the Cognition, Aging, Sleep and Health (CASH) Lab at the University of South Florida, noted that certain hypnotic medications exhibit sex differences in metabolism.
Women generally metabolize these drugs more slowly than men, which can influence both efficacy and the risk of next-day side effects, warned the expert, who was not involved in the study.
“Future studies should carefully examine whether these newer agents demonstrate similar sex-specific patterns to ensure optimal dosing and safety recommendations,” she told Fox News Digital.
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The impact of quetiapine on next-day cognitive function warrants further investigation, particularly among older adults, according to Curtis.
“This population is already vulnerable to cognitive and related side effects related to polypharmacy, making it essential to understand the potential trade-offs between sleep benefits and daytime functioning,” she added.
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Insomnia is often the result of “learned behavioral and cognitive factors” that persist over time, according to Curtis.
“Even when medications are effective in the short term, behavioral interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia remain an important component of long-term management,” she said.
“This population is already vulnerable to cognitive and related side effects related to polypharmacy.”
Chelsie Rohrscheib, head sleep expert at Wesper, a sleep analysis company in New York, agreed that patients shouldn’t be alarmed by these findings.
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“But if they’re taking quetiapine for sleep, especially if they have sleep apnea or wake up feeling groggy, they should talk with their doctor about whether the benefits outweigh the risks and whether other treatment options might be appropriate,” noted Rohrscheib, who was not affiliated with the research.
Fox News Digital reached out to the drug manufacturer and to the study researchers for comment.
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The keto diet may help individuals with anorexia nervosa, new research from UC San Diego School of Medicine suggests.
The small study, published in the journal Nature, enrolled 22 women between 18 and 45 years old who had a history of anorexia nervosa and a BMI (body mass index) above 17.5.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder involving food restriction and low body weight, the researchers describe. This is often followed by body dissatisfaction, an intense fear of eating, and a preoccupation with body shape and size even after weight restoration.
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The participants followed a ketogenic therapy plan for 14 weeks, aiming for a diet consisting of 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbohydrates, according to a press release.
The participants followed a ketogenic therapy plan for 14 weeks, aiming for a diet consisting of 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbohydrates. (iStock)
The goal was to maintain weight while inducing nutritional ketosis — a metabolic state in which the body produces and uses ketones for energy because carbohydrate intake is low enough to shift metabolism toward fat burning.
The researchers monitored the participants via ketone testing, weekly weight checks, symptom questionnaires, and nutritional and psychiatric support.
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Among the remaining 18 participants, eating disorder symptoms reportedly improved in several areas, including restraint, depression scores, and concern with eating, shape and weight.
Overall scores on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) also improved, with 72% of participants scoring in the recovered or normal range.
Eating disorder symptoms reportedly improved in several areas, according to the study findings. (iStock)
The participants’ body weight did not change significantly, and no BMI fell below 17.5, according to the results.
Those who continued to follow ketogenic therapy three months after the intervention had slightly better EDE-Q scores.
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The study authors concluded that ketogenic dietary therapy is “well-tolerated” and demonstrated “potential efficacy” in reducing anorexia nervosa symptoms in adults who are mildly underweight or weight-restored.
Although the study was “sufficiently powered,” the authors noted that the small sample size of predominantly White females limits the scope of the findings.
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“Future research should replicate these findings in more diverse populations and incorporate objective assessments of brain function, such as metabolic PET imaging, to assess brain glucose metabolism,” they wrote.
Those who continued to follow ketogenic therapy three months after the intervention had slightly better scores on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. (iStock)
Lead study author Guido Frank, MD, professor of psychiatry at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, who has studied and treated anorexia patients for more than 25 years, launched this study to broaden treatment options for this high-risk population.
Frank wrote in a statement that new approaches to anorexia nervosa are “urgently” needed.
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“Our work with ketogenic therapy looks beyond standard therapies and potentially at the underlying physiology of the disorder,” he went on.
“Growing evidence links anorexia nervosa to neurometabolic dysfunction, and we are hopeful that direct metabolic intervention can regulate neural function and address the psychological symptoms patients experience.”
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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