In a move environmental advocates have denounced as a betrayal of public health, the Trump administration announced plans this week to roll back drinking water limits on four toxic “forever chemicals,” weakening a key component of the Biden-era regulatory framework meant to limit exposure to substances linked to cancer and other serious illnesses.
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), led by Administrator Lee Zeldin, said it would retain limits for two of the most well-known per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—PFOA and PFOS—but will seek to rescind the Biden administration’s recently established limits on four closely related chemicals: PFNA, PFHxS, GenX, and PFBS. These chemicals were developed by industry to replace PFOA and PFOS and are still widely in use.
“These four chemicals are the ones currently in use because industry developed them to replace PFOA and PFOS, so they are the chemicals most likely to increase contamination in the future,” said Betsy Southerland, a former senior EPA water official, in a statement issued by the Environmental Protection Network. “It is incredibly inefficient to regulate them years after the treatment has been installed only for PFOA and PFOS.”
“Zeldin’s announcement on PFAS drinking water standards ensures that America’s children will be drinking PFAS for another decade while he slows drinking water and wastewater PFAS treatment for years,” she added.
The rollback also includes delays to existing regulations. The EPA extended the deadline for compliance with PFAS treatment standards from 2029 to 2031 and postponed the implementation of a separate PFAS reporting rule by one year. The agency said it would provide “regulatory flexibility” and support for rural and small water systems, while allowing some utilities to request exemptions.
“We are on a path to uphold the agency’s nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water,” Zeldin said in a statement. “At the same time, we will work to provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance.”
But critics argue that this so-called flexibility comes at the cost of human health, and overwhelmingly benefits the chemical and utility industries, which have lobbied aggressively against stringent PFAS regulations. The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents major chemical manufacturers, argued in a statement that the 2024 drinking water rule was flawed and welcomed efforts to revise it. “EPA’s actions reflect efforts to address the concerns of water utilities and local governments,” the group said, while stating that more would be needed to reduce community impacts.
Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, called the decision “a betrayal of public health at the highest level.” He said, “You can’t make America healthy while allowing toxic chemicals to flow freely from our taps. The EPA is caving to chemical industry lobbyists and pressure by the water utilities, and in doing so, it’s sentencing millions of Americans to drink contaminated water for years to come.”
“The cost of PFAS pollution will fall on ordinary people, who will pay in the form of polluted water and more sickness, more suffering, and more deaths from PFAS-related diseases,” Cook added.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), approximately half of the U.S. population is already drinking PFAS-contaminated water, including as many as 105 million Americans whose water violates the new standards. These chemicals, known for their persistence—some taking up to 1,000 years to break down—are found in products ranging from nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing to firefighting foam. They are now detectable in the blood of nearly every American.
“The PFAS contamination crisis is much larger than just two chemicals, and there is increasing evidence that other PFAS chemicals that pollute water harm health,” said Cook. “Eliminating all PFAS chemicals from drinking water is an urgent public health priority.”
The Trump administration’s plan to rescind limits on four PFAS is particularly alarming to communities near military bases and industrial sites, which often face some of the highest contamination levels. In North Carolina, the Chemours facility discharged GenX and other PFAS into the Cape Fear River for years, affecting the water supply of roughly 200,000 people.
Emily Donovan, co-founder of the grassroots group Clean Cape Fear, condemned the EPA’s decision: “It’s disrespectful to PFAS contaminated communities who have suffered debilitating illnesses and devastating losses. This is a clear victory for the trillion dollar chemical industry—not public health.”
Mary Grant, director of the water program at Food & Water Watch, echoed that criticism. “Today’s decision is a shameful and dangerous capitulation to industry pressure that will allow continued contamination of our drinking water with toxic PFAS,” she said. “Once again, the Trump administration has demonstrated that its priority is bending to corporate interests, not protecting the safety and well-being of everyday people. Nothing is safe from Trump’s greed-driven agenda—not even our drinking water.”
“This will cost lives,” Grant added.
Legal experts and environmental advocates have also raised concerns about the legality of the rollback. Erik Olson, senior strategic director of health at NRDC, said, “With a stroke of the pen, the EPA is making a mockery of the Trump administration’s promise to deliver clean water for Americans.”
“The EPA’s plan to retain but delay standards for two legacy forever chemicals may offer modest consolation to some, but throwing out protections against four others will be devastating,” Olson continued. “The law is very clear that the EPA can’t repeal or weaken the drinking water standard. This action is not only harmful, it’s illegal.”
Kelly Moser, senior attorney and leader of the Water Program at the Southern Environmental Law Center, also pointed to the administration’s hypocrisy. “When this administration talks about deregulation, this is what they mean—allowing toxic chemicals in drinking water at the request of polluters,” she said. “This action also undercuts Administrator Zeldin’s acknowledgment of the severe health harms of PFAS; what people need are protections from pollution, not press releases feigning concern.”
Three of the four chemicals targeted in the rollback are structurally different from PFOA and PFOS, raising the risk that current water treatment systems designed to filter the latter may not effectively remove the former. Water utilities could be forced to redesign or replace their systems if future regulations are enacted—a costly process that may fall to already-strapped municipalities.
Some water utilities and industry groups argue that Biden-era PFAS limits impose unrealistic costs. The American Water Works Association and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies have expressed concern over infrastructure funding and said they are awaiting more details before deciding whether to continue litigation against the original rule. However, many environmental groups and affected communities argue that delaying protections is not a viable compromise.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has yet to make a final decision on whether it will continue defending a Biden-era rule that designated PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Superfund law. That designation is seen as essential for holding polluters financially responsible for cleanup—but it also poses significant legal and financial risks to corporations and the Department of Defense, which have used PFAS extensively.
As the Trump EPA moves forward with deregulating PFAS and delaying cleanup mandates, advocates warn that millions of Americans remain vulnerable to exposure, especially in communities already living with contaminated water supplies.
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