WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday proposed weakening limits on per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in drinking water. Of the six limits on these toxic chemicals, the agency’s plan would rescind four and allow water utilities to delay compliance on the other two until 2031.

PFAS have been found in the drinking water of more than 175 million Americans. Known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and human body, PFAS, even in small amounts over time, are linked to serious health problems including cancer, thyroid disruption and reduced vaccine response, according to the EPA. When the EPA finalized the current rule in 2024, the agency declared that it would “prevent PFAS exposure in drinking water for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses.”

Ahead of Monday’s proposed rollback, more than a dozen states have codified at least some PFAS drinking water limits of their own. Increasingly, state lawmakers are also willing to address the root of the problem by considering strict limits on the use of PFAS.

In response to the EPA’s decision, experts from Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund released the following statements:

“The EPA is proposing to walk back the one key step it has taken toward protecting our drinking water from the toxic scourge PFAS,” said Environment America Research & Policy Center clean water director John Rumpler. “Without any requirement for utilities to remove these chemicals from our drinking water, it becomes all the more important that companies stop using them in the first place.”

“For decades, the chemical industry has polluted our communities with toxic ‘forever chemicals’ and put our health at risk,” said Dina Akhmetshina, federal advocate for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. “Instead of protecting our drinking water from the thousands of other PFAS, the EPA is unleashing the few we’re currently protected against. We need to phase out PFAS use, stop their discharge and require the chemical industry to clean up its mess. Our children deserve nothing less.”

U.S. PIRG Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, conducts research, policy analysis and public education projects. We spotlight the problems that affect consumers’ health, safety and well-being, advance practical solutions, and promote dialogue about how to elevate the quality of our lives over the quantity of “stuff” we consume.

Environment America Research & Policy Center, a 501(c)(3) organization, conducts research, policy analysis and public education. We illuminate the problems facing our natural world, advance solutions, and inspire intelligent debate about how to put our country and our planet on a greener, healthier path.