Why the EPA Is Cracking Down on PFAS in Drinking Water

Used to make coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water, the lab-made chemicals called PFAS can be found in thousands of industrial and consumer goods. Suspected as the cause of cancers and other health problems, they’ve created billions of dollars worth of liabilities for companies. They’re often called “forever chemicals” because their strong fluorine-carbon bonds mean they persist in people, animals and the environment, adding to the risks. The US Environmental Protection Agency says no level of exposure to PFAS is safe and on April 10 imposed its first-ever drinking water limits on them, requiring water utilities to remove nearly all of the substances from tap water — a move expected to cost billions of dollars to implement. Rising concerns have prompted European Union regulators to consider tougher PFAS restrictions.

PFAS (“PEE-fas”) stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Their special abilities were discovered by accident — in 1938 when a DuPont scientist experimenting with refrigerants essentially invented Teflon, and in 1952 when a 3M Co. researcher splashed an experimental mixture on shoes, giving rise to the stain repellant Scotchgard. Some of the earliest forms – notably PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) – have been largely banned or voluntarily phased out by manufacturers, but their effects continue, and newer versions of the compounds have proliferated. Today, PFAS come in an estimated 15,000 varieties.