This week the EPA proposed new changes experts say would weaken reporting and monitoring rules for toxic “forever” chemicals known as PFAS. These thousands of synthetic chemicals are used in everything from nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing to firefighting foam; and have been linked to cancers, thyroid disease, immune dysfunction and developmental harm in children.
Previously the Biden administration required all manufacturers using PFAS chemicals to report usage data by this year.
Betsy Southerland, a retired EPA scientist and member of the Environmental Protection Network, said the new changes would extend the timeline and offer exemptions to some companies.
"And what this new rule does is say, 'No, we're going to give you at least another year, and furthermore, we're going to exempt many of the people who would have had to report their PFAs use,'" she said.
The Trump administration has also filed a motion to vacate portions of its 2024 rule setting drinking water limits for the chemicals, seeking to eliminate enforceable standards for four different types of PFAS. The agency also has plans to extend the compliance deadline for state’s drinking water systems to meet federal standards for the most widespread types of PFAS.
Southerland added that the agency is playing catch-up on determining what PFAS are in the environment and how dangerous they are to humans. She noted right now, scientists are only able to detect just a fraction of specific PFAS chemicals in the environment.
"It's taken EPA a number of years to just be able to monitor 40 PFAs chemicals in our water and sediments. And so, we need to know what other PFAs chemicals beyond these 40 we can measure for," she continued.
The EPA recently set limits on six PFAS chemicals, based on mounting scientific evidence of harm to human health. According to the Environmental Working Group, nearly 70 million acres of farmland across the U.S. could be contaminated by PFAS.
