Op-ed: EPA regulations on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water are delayed

May 30, 2024 – The new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits on persistent chemicals in drinking water are a step in the right direction when it comes to protecting the nation’s health, but they don’t go far enough, according to an article in the Washington Post by Joseph Allen of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Allen, an associate professor of exposure assessment sciences in the Department of Environmental Health, coined the term “forever chemicals” in 2018 to describe a type of commonly used chemicals that do not break down and remain in the environment – and in people’s bodies – indefinitely. These chemicals – per- or polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS – have been linked to a variety of health consequences, from cancer to reduced vaccine effectiveness in children to reduced fertility in women.

In April, the EPA announced limits on six specific chemicals found in drinking water. However, as Allen noted in a May 28 article, there are more than 10,000 other forever known chemicals that remain unregulated. Manufacturers are constantly introducing new versions of these chemicals to avoid regulations. “This ‘chemical whack-a-mole’ – in which one soon-to-be-regulated chemical is quietly replaced by a chemical cousin with similar properties, leaving scientists and regulators to play catch-up – is a playbook that has been used for decades.” – Allen wrote.

Consumers and businesses must call for transparency in the products they buy and demand healthier options, Allen recommends. Ultimately, however, the goal should be to completely eliminate chemicals from products permanently, he added.

“To be clear, the EPA regulation is an important victory,” Allen wrote. “It allows the country to start cleaning up its water mess and pumps $1 billion into the system to help states and territories in that effort. But we also need to shut down the flow of new chemicals added to products. Doing it one at a time, or even six at a time, is not enough.

Read the Washington Post article: EPA tries to regulate 6 chemicals forever. Only 10,000 left.

Photo: iStock/Greggory DiSalvo