The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some “forever chemicals” in drinking
water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones.
The Biden administration set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance
s, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain can
cers and babies being born with low birth weight. Those limits
on PFAS, which are human-made and don’t easily break down in nature, were expected to reduce their levels for millions of people.
Limits on three types of PFAS, including what are known as GenX substances f
ound in North Carolina, will be scrapped and reconsidered by the agency, as will a limit on a mixture of several types of PFAS.
The Biden administration’s rule also set standards for the two common type
s of PFAS, referred to as PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowe
st level at which they can b
e reliably detected. The EPA will keep those standards, but give utilities two extra years — until 2031 — to comply.
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“We are on a path to uphold the agency’s nationwide standards to protect A
mericans from PFOA and PFOS in their water. At the same time, we will work to
provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for complia
ce,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
The development was first reported by The Washington Post.
Large scale changes and utility pushback
It appears few utilities will be impacted by the withdrawal of limits for certain, newer types of PFAS. So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the Biden administration’s limits. But most utilities face problems with PFOA or PFOS.
Health advocates praised Biden’s administration for the limits. But water utilities complained, saying treatment systems are expensive and that customers will end up paying more. The utilities sued the EPA.
The EPA’s actions align with some arguments in the utilities’ lawsuit. They argued the EPA lacked authority to regulate a mixture of PFAS and said the agency didn’t properly support limits on several newer types of PFAS that the EPA now plans to rescind. They also sought the two-year extension.