EPA forever chemicals hazardous overview:
- Who: The Environmental Protection Agency designated two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances.
- Why: The designation came less than a year after the agency announced an initiative to address PFAS exposure.
- Where: The new rule affects consumers nationwide.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” as hazardous substances under federal law earlier this month.
Per a memorandum posted April 19, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are hazardous substances under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
“The rule designating PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances will allow EPA to use the full strength of CERCLA to address PFAS contamination,” the agency writes in the memo.
The rule, which was signed April 17, comes less than a year after the EPA announced an initiative in August 2023 to address exposure to PFAS, according to the memorandum.
The agency says the designation would not change the liability framework within CERCLA that offers “liability protections in certain circumstances for parties that are not primarily responsible.”
EPA calls addressing PFAS contamination a ‘significant priority’
The EPA says addressing the issue of PFAS contamination is a significant priority and cites the breadth and scope of PFAS contamination through the country and toxicity and persistence of PFAS chemicals.
“Communities across the United States face public health and environmental challenges because of toxic PFAS contamination,” the EPA writes in the memo.
The agency says it also intends to pursue potentially responsible parties of contamination and federal agencies to conduct investigations and cleanup to protect communities from high-risk, high-concentration PFOA and PFOS exposures.
“EPA remains committed to environmental justice and identifying and protecting overburdened communities that may be disproportionally impacted by adverse health and environmental effects,” the agency writes.
The EPA made headlines earlier this month after announcing it finalized its first-ever regulations for PFAS in drinking water, with the rules giving public water systems five years to implement solutions to reduce the presence of PFAS in drinking water that currently exceeds acceptable levels.
Per the regulations, public water systems will have three years to complete an initial monitoring for PFAS, must continue to monitor for compliance going forward and must begin informing the public about the level of PFAS in drinking water starting in 2027.
Have you been exposed to PFAS? Let us know in the comments.
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