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EPA Advances Rollback of PFAS Protections, Prompting Legal Challenges

The agency plans to rescind limits on certain PFAS chemicals and extend compliance deadlines, as environmental groups sue to block the changes.

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Mariah Blake, author of "They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals" speaks at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California
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Overview

  • The EPA has proposed rescinding limits on GenX, PFNA, and PFAS mixtures while maintaining PFOA and PFOS standards at 4 ppt, with compliance deadlines extended to 2031.
  • Environmental groups have filed lawsuits against the EPA, citing the Safe Drinking Water Act to challenge the rollback of drinking water protections.
  • Nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities already exceed the current PFAS limits, raising concerns about public health risks from bioaccumulative toxins linked to cancer and other diseases.
  • The Biden-era PFAS rule, established in 2024, aimed to address contamination with $1.5 billion in annual compliance costs, supported by federal infrastructure funding and polluter-pays settlements.
  • Global and state-level efforts to ban or restrict PFAS continue, with France, the EU, and major U.S. retailers committing to PFAS-free products in response to mounting evidence of harm.