The Environmental Protection Agency gives some chemicals forever a pass

The Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday that it will change a base aimed at protecting Americans from chemicals forever in drinking water. The agency plans to extend an appointment to comply with the reduction of major chemicals, cancel the regulations and reconsider four others.

Last year, the Biden Administration issued a long -awaited bases on chemicals forever in municipal drinking water systems. This rule not only imposes low levels of two of the most important chemicals forever, PFOA and PFOS, but for four other chemicals linked to a variety of harmful health effects.

In addition to removing these four other chemicals from the base, the Trump Environmental Protection Agency now says it will give drinking water systems until 2031 to get rid of PFOA and PFOS in the show – after years of the original date of 2029.

“The Environmental Protection Agency has one task: the protection of human health and the environment,” says Kayla Bennett, director of science policy for non -profit public officials of environmental responsibility. “This fly in the face of their mission and everything they are supposed to defend it.”

Lee Zealin, director of the Environmental Protection Agency at A. press release. “At the same time, we will work to provide flexibility in proper instinct in an additional time to comply. This will support water systems throughout the country, including small systems in rural societies, where they work to address these pollutants.”

The substances of the individual and polyotorogen, also known as PFAS or chemicals forever, are a category of thousands of chemicals used in a variety of industries and consumer products, from non -adhesive pans to rainy coats to fire foam to protecting water -resistant furniture. The Environmental Protection Agency has linked PFAS to A wide range of health concerns In humans such as cancer, hormonal imbalances, low fertility, developmental delay in children, and reduce the response to the vaccine.

As their name suggests, these chemicals can last for thousands of years in the environment, and can reach very high concentrations. Studies have found that almost all Americans Pfas effects in their bloodWhile the EPA data, which was released earlier this year, appears Half of the population of the United States Exposed to PFAS in drinking water.

While escalating research for years linked to chemicals forever is related to the negative results of human health, the government was slow to organize PFAs. In the late nineties and early first decade of the twentieth century, a series of lawsuits, including a Historical issue In West Virginia, it revealed how PFAs chemical producers hide the effects of human health for their products from the public and the organizers. As a result, the main American manufacturers of chemicals have worked with the government to gradually get rid of the production of PFOA and PFOS, which are the most used chemicals forever. Instead of giving up PFAs completely, industries have turned into alternative chemicals forever Claim It was safer.

Research has since showed that these alternatives may also accumulate in the environment and be harmful to human health. Its Environmental Protection Agency has male For example, Dimerm acid acid oxide oxide oxide albulubeline and ammonium salt remains in the environment as long as PFOA and PFOS. Chemical Chemours started to manufacture a chemical category, called Genx, using a hexide -fulberbellin dimer acid acid, In 2009Claiming chemicals can be used as “Sustainable replacement“For PFOA. Animal studies indicate that oral exposure to Genx can have negative effects on the liver, kidneys and birth. Biden base hiring Genx boundaries allowed in drinking water in only 10 parts per trillion (PPT). in Exact water tests In one of the waterproofing tool in North Carolina in 2016, near A. Chemours facilityAnd the average chemical levels in 631 PPT, with some samples of up to 4,500 points.