EPA Updates the Safe Drinking Water Act to Include “Forever Chemicals”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced final drinking water standards for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The new guidelines for these pollutants — colloquially called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in natural environments and inability to break down over time — mark record low federal concentration requirements. The policy change follows the lead of various states that have already restricted their use. This is the first time standards have been finalized for a new chemical class under the Safe Drinking Water Act since it was last updated in 1996.

While forever chemicals’ durability and lack of reactivity make them a useful and cost-effective tool for coating and protecting surfaces, they are linked to serious health conditions, including cancer, reduced fertility, thyroid disease, and liver damage. Many of the negative health effects of PFAS have been known since the 1970s, but their desirable physical properties have found use in consumer products, like food packaging, cookware, cosmetics, and textiles.

As the PFAS-coated products degrade, the coating inevitably enters municipal water supplies. Additionally, PFAS are often discharged into waterways via industrial processes and firefighting foams. The ubiquity of these chemicals, mixed with the body’s ability to accumulate PFAS over time, has made high concentrations of PFAS in drinking water a persistent problem across the U.S. For example, a 2021 study in Environmental Science & Technology found forever chemicals in 100% of tested breast milk samples.

As a...