At any moment, a mother fills a plastic bottle or a father microwaves leftovers for their kids in a plastic tray.
These acts seem ordinary, yet there is growing reason for concern: Families are consistently exposed to synthetic compounds and microplastics that accumulate in their bodies.
Many of the government experts who are supposed to protect us have known about these risks for years, yet they have looked the other way— which is not an accident.
It's a troubling example of how powerful interests dictate policy in Washington, enabled by an unelected class of bureaucrats who make decisions every day that affect Americans’ lives.
In this case, Big Chemical has been able to call the shots because of a broken regulatory system. Consider the "revolving door," in which regulators move from agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lucrative roles in industry.
The transient position of influence distorts the process, creating an incentive for them to write industry-friendly policies in the hopes of eventually entering a high-paying private-sector career.
This insider influence was on striking display in 2016, when President Barack Obama signed the Toxic Substances Control Act.
While sold to the American people as a victory for public safety, the legislation was a classic "Swamp" compromise.
It included provisions that effectively exempted thousands of existing chemicals from meaningful review - guaranteeing industry profits while leaving the public at risk.
Meanwhile, chemicals leaching from food packaging and water bottles are wreaking havoc. A growing body of scientific evidence warns that these toxins throw endocrine systems into upheaval - with researchers increasingly linking them to suppressed testosterone, driving obesity, affecting fertility decline, and triggering behavioral disorders in children.
Some estimates suggest the average American now consumes a credit card's worth of plastic every week. Is it any wonder that America is facing a health crisis?
Still, there are promising signs of a fundamental shift in Washington's policymaking machinery, driven largely by the populist energy President Trump has unleashed since he first vowed to drain the swamp a decade ago.
The MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement, championed by the Trump administration and leaders such as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are finally challenging the era of regulatory capture in which industry insiders dictate policy.
MAHA groups are calling for an immediate freeze on new permits for chemical manufacturing and plastic processing plants until the safety of American families can be guaranteed.
To lead this charge, the administration has launched a $144 million offensive called STOMP - the Systematic Targeting of Microplastics.
While some experts have previously claimed there were no reliable tools to measure the damage, this administration is attempting to develop them.
STOMP has the potential to end decades of excuses by developing independent, high-tech methods to detect and — more importantly — remove these toxins from the human body.
For the first time in a generation, we have an administration willing to challenge Washington insiders to protect the interests of American families.
Moreover, by doing so, President Trump is fulfilling his pledge to make Washington work for the American people.
John Burnett is the host of the First Edition Show on Newsmax2 (N2), the first vice chairman of the New York State Republican Party, and managing director of 1 Empire Group. Read more John Burnett Insdier articles — Click Here Now.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.