EPA named 9 new ‘forever chemicals’ it wants out of supply chains

By Leah Garden | GreenBiz | February 15, 2024

Read the full article by Leah Garden (GreenBiz)

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed adding nine "forever chemicals" to its list of hazardous constituents under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). To qualify for the list, chemicals must have proven "toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic effects on human life or other life forms," according to the EPA’s website.

The chemicals are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class used to make heat-, oil- and grease-resistant products. Existing in more than 12,000 forms, PFAS can be found on everything from menstrual products to mattress pads to wall paint. PFAS are also an environmental menace because they do not break down, can move through soils and groundwater, and accumulate in wildlife, eventually working their way up the food chain into humans.

Manufacturers who use PFAS were unsurprised by the EPA’s announcement, according to Kent Sorenson, chief technology officer at Allonnia, a bioremediation company."