EPA Revises Rules on ‘Forever Chemicals’ Found in Drinking Water

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it is rolling back limits on the “forever chemicals” that have been found in the nation’s drinking water.

The chemicals, known as PFAS, have been linked to cancer and reproductive health problems. They are commonly used in cleaning products, water resistant fabrics and non-stick cookware.

The Biden administration set drinking water standards last year designed to remove carcinogenic PFAS from drinking water sources.

The EPA announcement Wednesday said rules on four PFAS are being rescinded. The regulations on two other PFAS will remain but the deadline for industry compliance is being extended from 2029 to 2031.

The policy change is part of a larger trend by the Trump administration to lessen industry regulatory burdens. Republicans in Congress are preparing a bill that would eliminate criminal penalties for most violations of industry regulations.

In June, a group of trade associations representing water utilities filed a lawsuit against the EPA that challenged the PFAS regulations and the science behind them. They also said compliance with the regulations would raise their costs by $1.5 billion per year and increase water prices for their customers.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, which is participating in the lawsuit, says the EPA lacks authority to rescind rules that were embodied in a statute approved by Congress.

The Safe Drinking Water Act, the federal law that empowers the EPA to set standards for drinking water quality, contains an “anti-backsliding” provision that prohibits the agency from weakening standards.

Erik D. Olson, director of health for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement, “But now the [Trump] administration is going to toss out most of these long-sought protections and allow this contamination to continue unabated, all at the behest of the chemical industry and water utilities.”

The EPA has estimated that 158 million Americans are exposed to PFAS through their drinking water.

They are called “forever chemicals” because their carbon-fluorine bonds are among the strongest in organic chemistry, meaning they can take generations to naturally break down into less harmful substances. Residues have been found in soil, rain, fish and wild animals.

PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of chemicals that can take any of hundreds of forms. The EPA regulations focus on six common PFA contaminants.

The restrictions will remain for the variations of the chemicals called PFOA, which is a known human carcinogen, and PFOS, which is a likely carcinogen. The other four PFAS for which the regulations are rescinded are considered less toxic.

Olson said, “The EPA’s plan to retain but delay standards for two legacy ‘forever chemicals’ may offer modest consolation to some, but throwing out protections against four others will be devastating. The law is very clear that the EPA can’t repeal or weaken the drinking water standard. This action is not only harmful, it’s illegal.”

He added that the Natural Resources Defense Council is likely to take more action to oppose the EPA over its PFAS policy.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the revised rules would “protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their drinking water” but offer “commonsense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance.”

The EPA plans a new rulemaking for the regulations that were rescinded on four of the PFAS. They are PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS.

A new EPA rule for them is expected in spring 2026.

Water utilities said the EPA has given them the additional time they needed to comply with PFAS regulations.

Matthew Holmes, chief executive of the trade group National Rural Water Association, said the policy revision gives water system managers an opportunity “to identify affordable treatment technologies and make sure they are on a sustainable path to compliance.”

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