Critics Say EPA Action Plan on Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' Falls Short
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Feb. 14 a historic effort to rein in a class of long-lasting chemicals that pose serious health risks to millions of Americans, with a plan to address the widespread contamination caused by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds due in the spring. The chemicals have long been present in nonstick cookware, firefighting foams, and water-repellent fabrics, and long-term exposure has been linked to thyroid disease, weakened immunity, infertility risks, and certain cancers. Environmental groups and residents of contaminated communities say the EPA's plan is short on action and that there is enough evidence to regulate the chemicals in the nation's drinking water. The EPA said that by year's end, it would begin the lengthy process of setting drinking water limits for two of the most widely detected compounds, known as PFOS and PFOA, and it will issue guidance on cleaning up groundwater contaminated by the chemicals, require more testing for PFAS in public water systems, undertake additional research on the health effects of less-studied compounds, and better communicate the risk that communities face.