The Environmental Protection Agency slows limits for PFAs in drinking water

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced on Wednesday that it postpones the timeline for water utensils to meet the reduction of some per and polyfluoralkyl substances, or PFAS chemicals, reconsidering others for others.

“The work to protect Americans against PFAs in drinking water, started under the first Trump administration and will continue under my leadership,” said EPA manager Lee Zeldin in the announcement.

PFAs are a class of thousands of chemicals that have been used for decades To make and stain a number of products Including clothing, cosmetics, upholstery and fire -fighting foams. They are sometimes called “chemicals” forever because they contain strong molecular bindings that last for decades. Long -term exposure to PFAS is linked to Damage to human healthSuch as certain cancers or damage to the liver and the immune system.

In April 2024, the EPA established under the BIDEN administration limits for certain PFAS chemicals in drinking water, for which community water systems are needed to find alternative water sources or to install filtration systems to remove them. It was the first time that the agency had put enforceable caps on PFAS in drinking water and had to pay water aid programs by 2029.

Now the EPA proposes to expand the compliance deadline to 2031 for two of the most common PFAS chemicals – Pfoa and Pfos. And it is to withdraw and reconsider the limits for the other four stated in the first PFHXS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS.

“That doesn’t mean that [the limits] becomes weaker … when I go through a process and we follow the law, at the end of it, the final [levels] Maybe a lower number, not a higher number, “said EPA manager Lee Zeldin on one Congress hearing on May 14.

Some proponents of the environment have pronounced skepticism.

“The way the problem is framed [in the announcement] Is not about offering additional protection or making it stricter, “says Anna Reade, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.” It is about providing lighting in terms of costs to water systems. “

Groups that represent water aid programs praised the move.

“We strongly support the decision of the agency to withdraw the regulations … and take care of it Safe drinking water act Process, “read a joint e -mail rack Of the heads of the American Water Works Association and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, two groups that have Dress the EPA About his PFAS regulation.

They said that the process requires that EPA constructs rules that “maximize the benefits for public health in a cost-effective way. This is crucial for water systems and their communities, because the process ensures that every Ratepayer dollar is focused on the most urgent risks for public health.”

The Safe Drinking Water Act also contains a measure that is generally known as the “Anti-backliding determination“Who considers it illegal to weaken a drinking water rule as soon as it takes place, says Reade. Although she is worried that the agency may try to weaken the rule,” the real damage is now that it postpones the movement to protecting the drinking water for PFAS, “she says.

The EPA estimates that 6-10% of water systems operate water with excess PFAS levels, according to the 2024 regulations, which affects around 100 million people in the US

According to To EPA analysisIt would cost $ 1.5 billion per year for water companies to comply with the regulation. The benefits of reducing PFAs in drinking water would be equal to or exceed the costs, said the agency, in terms of less cancer and fewer heart attacks, strokes and birth combinations in the affected population.

Proponents of health care are concerned that the relocation will slow down the removal of these chemicals from drinking water and that more people will be exposed to chemicals that can contribute to chronic health problems.