On May 18, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to “rescind and restart” restrictions on PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in drinking water. Existing restrictions on six PFAS, which have been linked to several cancers, were implemented in 2024 under the Biden Administration. The proposed changes, which EPA officials say will be “grounded in gold-standard science,” would remove four of the six restrictions and give utilities an additional two years to comply with limits on the two most widely used PFAS.
Environmental experts warned that rolling back restrictions may expose millions of Americans to PFAS, with some alleging the Trump Administration is prioritizing business interests over public health. Online commenters expressed concern about the potential health risks of PFAS and questioned who would benefit from the changes. Some claimed without evidence that the changes are part of a plot to depopulate certain communities or for AI data centers to “poison the water” without accountability. Others mocked the Make America Healthy Again movement for opposing fluoride in drinking water but not forever chemicals.
Recommendation
Conversations about forever chemicals may raise concerns about public and personal health risks, particularly as trust in the federal agencies responsible for regulating them declines. Communicators may explain what PFAS are, who is most at risk, and how to reduce exposure in daily life. Messaging may emphasize that PFAS are called forever chemicals because they can persist in drinking water, soil, and the human body for decades, and that exposure has been linked to several cancers, fertility issues, weakened immune response, and other health concerns.
Emphasizing that current federal regulations limit PFAS in drinking water to the lowest detectable level is recommended, as is explaining that the EPA’s proposed rollback would remove restrictions on some PFAS and give companies more time to comply with restrictions on others. The EPA has not publicly provided a clear scientific rationale for these specific changes.
Fact-checking sources: USA Today, Yale University, American Cancer Society
Communication resources: Find more talking points about forever chemicals
