NEW YORK, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones.
The Joe Biden administration set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight. Those limits on PFAS, which are man-made and don't easily break down in nature, were expected to reduce their levels in drinking water for millions of people.
Limits on three types of PFAS, including so-called GenX substances found in North Carolina, will be scrapped and reconsidered by the agency, as will a limit on a mixture of several types of PFAS.
The Biden administration's rule also set standards for the two common types of PFAS, referred to as PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. The EPA will keep those standards in place, but give utilities two extra years, until 2031, to comply and treat for the chemicals.
"We are on a path to uphold the agency's nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water. At the same time, we will work to provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying.
