EPA released updated guidance this week on handling “forever chemicals,” a move teased by Trump administration officials as a pillar of its PFAS strategy.
The new interim guidance on the destruction and disposal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is largely similar to the Biden administration’s 2024 guidance. It focuses “on the three widely-used, commercially available” technologies: landfills, underground injection wells and thermal treatment, which includes combustors, incinerators, kilns and other high-temperature processes.
EPA still recommends that waste handlers attempt to minimize the “potential for PFAS release into the environment” as it did in 2024, but the latest version includes language about the viability “given similar costs or other considerations.”
The agency eliminated most references to vulnerable populations in line with the Trump administration’s move away from policies focused on environmental justice. It also removed references to ongoing EPA research as the administration has eliminated the Office of Research and Development.
