Fourteen Republican-led states ask EPA to study mifepristone in drinking water

Attorneys general from fourteen Republican-led states sent a letter Tuesday asking the Environmental Protection Agency to add mifepristone to the agency's Contaminant Candidate List. The letter states that mifepristone use has reached an all-time high and argues that conventional wastewater treatment may not remove the drug or its metabolites from water supplies.

Background on the request Mifepristone is the first drug in a two-pill regimen used in roughly two-thirds of U.S. abortions. The second drug, misoprostol, was added to the Contaminant Candidate List in April when the EPA expanded the list to include more than 300 pharmaceuticals.

The attorneys general wrote that if mifepristone reaches sufficient concentration in public water, pregnant women who unintentionally ingest it could face greater health risks than the general population.

Prior advocacy The letter follows years of petitions filed with the Food and Drug Administration by Students for Life of America requesting environmental impact studies and catch-kits for medical waste. The group has conducted wastewater testing that it says shows elevated levels of progesterone-disrupting chemicals.

The attorneys general also noted that the Food and Drug Administration's 2023 removal of in-person screening requirements has expanded access to mifepristone through online sales, including in states with strict abortion laws. The EPA has not yet responded to the letter.