Microplastics, about the size of a grain of rice, have been found in Oregon waterways, and have been shown to cause damage to human and animal cells. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum views the bipartisan, bicameral and bicoastal Microplastics Safety Act as a way to marry the interests of Oregonians and the Trump administration

The average human brain now contains enough tiny plastic fragments to equal the weight of a plastic spoon, a 50% increase in the past decade.

Those sobering statistics, included in a February study from researchers at the University of New Mexico, spurred a bipartisan, bicameral and bicoastal congressional team to introduce legislation Thursday to require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to study the health impacts of microplastics.

U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum and Sen. Jeff Merkley, both Oregon Democrats, and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Greg Steube, both Florida Republicans, introduced the Microplastics Safety Act. Bynum told the Capital Chronicle it’s an example of the type of “low-hanging fruit” she aims to tackle as a first-term congresswoman in the minority party.

“The (Trump) administration has indicated an interest in making America healthy again, so this was the perfect opportunity to marry the interests of Oregonians with the interests of the administration,” Bynum said.

The three-page bill would require Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to identify the major causes of microplastic exposure and study the impact of exposure to microplastics on children’s health, hormones, cancer, chronic illness and reproductive health. Kennedy would need to submit a report to Congress within a year.

Scott, the chairman of the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, said in a statement that he was especially concerned about the long-term harm microplastics pose to older Americans. The University of New Mexico study found a clear correlation between people diagnosed with dementia and plastic — brain tissue from dementia patients had up to 10 times as much plastic than brain tissue from others — but it couldn’t determine a causal link.

“The Microplastics Safety Act is a critical step toward understanding the full scope of these risks,” Scott said. “As exposure continues to grow through food, water, air, and everyday products, this legislation will help ensure we’re guided by sound science to protect public health and our next generation.”

Merkley added that microplastics threaten human health and the environment.

“Most of us have been taught the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Too often, the reality for plastics is really the three Bs — buried, burned, and borne out to sea — as dangerous chemicals are seeping into our soil, air, and water,” he said in a statement.

Bynum said it’s not a coincidence that the bill’s first four sponsors hail from coastal states: People who live near the coast, or by rivers or lakes, are more likely to see large plastic washing up on beaches.

“This is a real issue that people can see every day in their communities, and they’re also probably a lot more focused on making sure that those waterways and those areas of recreation and areas where we are are harvesting our food, are clean, are safe to eat and are not environmentally contaminated,” she said.

She also hopes that a federal study will help more people understand the reasoning behind policies like Oregon’s laws to phase out the use of plastic bags, straws and disposable tableware. As a state representative, Bynum voted for 2019 laws to ban single-use plastic grocery bags and prohibit restaurants from giving plastic straws to customers who don’t ask for them.

Critics decried those bans as “virtue signaling” and symptoms of a “nanny state” government. Bynum said she hopes that having more information and research from the federal government will help more people see the value of limiting plastic, similar to how the Food and Drug Administration provides guidance on how much water to drink or what constitutes a healthy balance of protein and vegetables.

She acknowledged that it may be hard to trust the results of a report from a department led by Kennedy, whose stances on vaccines and fluoride in drinking water have alarmed scientists and public health officials. But Bynum said that isn’t a reason to stop trying to help improve health and welfare.

“Ultimately, I think it is important for us to ask the question about what microplastics are doing to our bodies and to our environment, and we should continue pushing on that, whoever’s in charge of the administration,” she said.