The agency wants to repeal maximum contaminant levels for six toxic forever chemicals in drinking water set in 2024 by the Biden administration after research linked them to health issues such as decreased fertility, increased risk of some cancers, immune system suppression, increased risk of obesity, and developmental delays in infants and children.

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The US is set to kill Biden-era limits on toxic PFAS, colloquially known as “forever chemicals”, in drinking water.

Under Administrator Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will issue two new rules aimed at delaying and rescinding the limits. The first one will repeal 2024 regulations that set nationwide limits on four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – GenX, PFNA, PFBS, and PFHxS – in drinking water. The agency will also restart a lengthy process to establish whether regulation of these substances is required – and if so, how to regulate them.

The second proposal would retain limits on two PFAS known as PFOA and PFOS, but extend the deadline for water utilities to comply with the regulations from 2029 to 2031. The Biden administration had limited levels of these two substances in drinking water to four parts per trillion, the lowest detectable level, citing scientific findings revealing that there is “no level of exposure to these contaminants without risk of health impacts, including certain cancers.”

The new proposals directly contradict the EPA’s April announcement, which named reducing PFAS risks to the public as a top two-year priority alongside “advancing investment into America and job creation through permitting reform.”

PFAS are synthetic compounds that have been used on a commercial scale since the 1950s. Besides containing both water-attracting and water-repelling ends, their chemical structure renders them resistant to chemical and thermal degradation, making them useful additions to products including non-stick cookware, food packaging, cosmetics, and firefighting foam. It is these same properties, however, that also make PFAS difficult to break down, posing environmental and health risks. Their stability and persistence in the environment are the reason why they are also known as forever chemicals.

Human exposure to PFAS occurs via routes such as ingestion, inhalation, and placental transfer. Beyond soil, air, and food, drinking water has been identified as a major source of PFAS, with water reservoirs and supplies worldwide commonly contaminated with PFAS. A federal survey released in 2023 found that forever chemicals contaminate nearly half of all US tap water and about 70% of urban tap water sources.

In 2024, the EPA designated PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances and set maximum contaminant levels for six PFAS in drinking water after research linked long-term exposure to PFAS to health issues such as decreased fertility; increased risk of prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer; immune system suppression; increased risk of obesity; and developmental delays in infants and children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes. More research is needed to determine how different levels of exposure to different PFAS can lead to a variety of health effects as well as the consequences of low levels of exposure to PFAS over long periods of time, particularly for children.

Chemical companies and water utilities sued the EPA following the adoption of the standards, seeking to undo them. While initially defenfing the regulations in court, the EPA under Trump requested the court to partially vacate some limits on PFAS in drinking water, citing compliance costs and utility pressures. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia eventually declined to completely strike them down.

105 Million People Affected

Environmental groups were quick to denounce the EPA’s plan.

Katherine O’Brien, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, said the move will “leave children and families to bear the cost of continued drinking water contamination.” Up to 105 million people nationwide would be affected by the standards’ rescission, according to the environmental law non-profit.

Erik D. Olson, Senior Strategic Director for Health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit international environmental advocacy group, said the proposal would “blow a big hole in protections from forever chemicals.”

“This is a clear cave-in to special interests like the petrochemical industry and water utilities that care more about their bottom lines than the health of Americans,” he added.

More on the topic: Understanding PFAS: Health Concerns, Regulations and Solutions to Tackling the Spread of Forever Chemicals