In a first, EPA sets limit for ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

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1. The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized the nation’s first drinking water standard for “forever chemicals,” a group of persistent human-made chemicals that can pose a health risk to people at even the smallest detectable levels of exposure.

   The new rules are part of the Biden administration’s efforts to limit pollution from these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which can persist in the environment for centuries. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, low birth weights, high cholesterol, and negative effects on the liver, thyroid and immune system.

   EPA officials estimate that the federal rule will reduce PFAS exposure in drinking water for about 100 million people.

   This is the first time the EPA has set a drinking water standard for a new contaminant since 1996. Some states — including Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington — have already passed drinking water standards for certain PFAS.

   “Everyone should be able to turn on the tap and know that the glass of water they fill is safe to drink and free of pollutants,” Brenda Mallory, the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality said on a call with reporters Tuesday.

   Robert Bilott, a Cincinnati environmental attorney whose fight against forever chemicals has led to [major class-action settlements](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/06/03/forever-chemicals-water-pfas-settlement/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) against DuPont and 3M, said in a statement that the EPA’s drinking water standard is “the culmination of decades of work” to raise awareness about the risks of these chemicals.

   PFAS are “the most toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative chemicals ever found in our nation’s drinking water supply,” Bilott said.

   Read the full story here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/04/10/pfas-drinking-water-epa-safety/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/04/10/pfas-drinking-water-epa-safety/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)

2. This is the beginning of the rubber meeting the road (and then washing into our streams). Seriously though, we’ll find out Americas appetite for paying for a healthy world. There’s no hiding the expense of this legislation.