**EPA to Reevaluate PFAS Drinking Water Standards Amid Concerns**

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to revoke and reconsider drinking water standards for four chemicals associated with various health issues. This decision relates to the drinking water regulations set last year under President Joe Biden's administration, which aimed to minimize public exposure to hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

According to documents reviewed by The Washington Post, the Biden administration's original rules targeted six prevalent PFAS contaminants, including PFOA, identified as a human carcinogen, and PFOS, considered a likely carcinogen. Over 158 million Americans are estimated to have PFAS in their drinking water. While the current rules for PFOA and PFOS will remain unchanged, the compliance deadline will be extended from 2029 to 2031. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin mentioned that these changes would ensure protection against PFOA and PFOS while providing utilities more time to comply.

The EPA's plan to reconsider standards follows the White House's March release of a "National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws," outlining PFAS's health risks, including reproductive health issues, developmental delays in children, cancer, and hormonal imbalances. PFAS, widely used in consumer and industrial products for their resistance to grease, water, oil, and heat, have been found in the blood of almost every American and even in remote areas like Antarctica.

The initial regulations required 66,000 public water systems in the U.S. to comply with new standards by 2029, setting maximum contamination levels for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion and three other compounds—PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX—at 10 parts per trillion. Utilities were also mandated to use a "hazard index" to monitor these chemicals, including PFBS. However, trade associations representing water utilities filed a lawsuit in June against the EPA, challenging the science behind the rule and its financial impact, estimated at $1.5 billion annually.

The EPA's new plan involves rescinding and reconsidering standards for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX, and PFBS, intending to initiate a new rulemaking process in the fall and issue updated regulations by next spring. Furthermore, the agency will launch the PFAS OUT program to provide resources, tools, and technical assistance to help utilities meet federal standards.

Erik Olson from the Natural Resources Defense Council, involved in the lawsuit, argues that the Safe Drinking Water Act prohibits the EPA from weakening drinking water standards. Olson expressed that any attempts to repeal or weaken these standards would violate longstanding congressional mandates and demonstrates a disregard for protecting public health from toxic chemicals.

Echoing these concerns, Linda Birnbaum, the former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, criticized the removal of restrictions on known substitutes for PFOS and PFOA, citing their proven health risks. Emily Donovan from Clean Cape Fear highlighted the adverse impact on communities, particularly those near Wilmington, North Carolina, affected by GenX contamination in the Cape Fear River, suggesting that the EPA's move favors chemical companies over public health.