The Trump administration asked a federal court Thursday to toss out parts of EPA’s first-ever drinking water regulation for “forever chemicals,” on the grounds that the Biden-era rule violated a legal requirement under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Adopting an argument made by water utilities and chemical companies seeking to overturn the rule, the Trump administration wrote that the prior administration failed to give the public an opportunity to weigh in before proposing strict legal limits in drinking water for four versions of the chemicals.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of synthetic chemicals that have been used in firefighting foam and a litany of consumer products, from food packaging to clothing.
Exposure to the substances, even at low levels, is linked to cancer, weakened immune systems and other human health issues. They have been found in about half of Americans’ drinking water, according to data collected by EPA.
