The EPA says it still cares about forever chemicals, but health advocates are wary

A geologist with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency collects samples of treated Lake Michigan h2o successful a laboratory astatine the h2o attraction works successful Wilmette, Illinois, connected July 3, 2021. | Photo: Getty Images

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a caller program to code “forever chemicals” erstwhile wide utilized successful non-stick and water-proof products that person since been linked to cancer, reproductive wellness issues, and liver damage. The vague details the EPA has shared truthful far, however, person wellness and biology advocates wondering whether the EPA’s program helps oregon delays enactment to support the chemicals retired of drinking water.

The bureau says it’ll motorboat caller efforts to survey the chemicals and volition make caller guidelines to bounds contamination from manufacturers. But the announcement connected Monday comes arsenic the EPA nether Donald Trump attempts to roll backmost dozens of different biology protections. And, notably, the bureau hasn’t decided whether it plans to enforce existing limits connected the magnitude of everlastingly chemicals successful drinking water. Nor volition the bureau accidental whether it plans to support a Biden-era rule to classify the 2 astir communal forms of PFAS as hazardous chemicals prioritized for cleanup nether the national Superfund law.

“It conscionable feels similar it offered a batch of words without saying anything,” says Mary Grant, a run manager astatine the nonprofit Food & Water Watch. “It reminds maine truthful overmuch of the erstwhile Trump administration, wherever they had PFAs roadmap aft PFAs roadmap without really taking immoderate steps to truly determination the needle.”

The chemicals autumn nether the umbrella of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and earned the “forever” statement due to the fact that of however agelong they tin persist successful the situation and accumulate successful the quality body. They were utilized for decades successful items specified arsenic nonstick pans, food packaging, fire-fighting foams, fabric protector, dental floss, and menstrual products. After facing a slew of lawsuits, immoderate large companies person already pledged to halt utilizing PFAS. But the chemicals person already made their mode into astatine slightest 45 percent of the nation’s pat water and into most Americans’ humor streams.  

“I person agelong been acrophobic astir PFAS and the efforts to assistance states and communities dealing with bequest contamination successful their backyards,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said successful a press release yesterday. “This is conscionable a commencement of the enactment we volition bash connected PFAS to guarantee Americans person the cleanest air, land, and water.”

The EPA said it would make caller water contamination regulations for PFAS manufacturers and metallic finishers. Forever chemicals tin beryllium used successful the electroplating process of applying an anticorrosive “chrome” decorativeness to metal. The EPA besides says it’ll “designate an bureau lead” connected PFAS initiatives, including caller efforts to stitchery accusation connected however to observe and destruct the chemicals. 

Last twelvemonth the Biden medication finalized the nation’s archetypal legally enforceable federal limits connected the astir communal types of PFAS successful drinking water. It was the culmination of years of probe and advocacy stretching backmost to Trump’s archetypal word successful office, erstwhile advocates and Democratic lawmakers accused the Trump medication of dragging its feet connected the issue.

Industry groups filed suit implicit the nationalist drinking h2o standards, claiming the EPA overstepped its authorization successful crafting them. Trade groups likewise filed suit against the Biden medication implicit the hazardous discarded designation for PFAS, arguing the EPA misinterpreted the Superfund law.

The EPA’s announcement yesterday didn’t notation either suit, lone saying that it volition “address the astir important compliance challenges” related to nationalist drinking h2o regulations for everlastingly chemicals. When asked by The Verge whether it planned to support those PFAS rules successful court, EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said successful an email that “New EPA enactment is successful the process of reviewing the PFAS drinking h2o rule, and the issues presented successful the litigation successful the existent lawsuit astir it, and processing its presumption connected however to proceed.” The bureau faces May deadlines to determine whether to support the drinking h2o and hazardous discarded rules aft asking for extensions successful some cases.