E.P.A. Will Make Polluters Pay to Clean Up Two ‘Forever Chemicals’

By Coral Davenport | The New York Times | April 19, 2024

Read the full article by Coral Davenport (The New York Times)

"The Biden administration is designating two “forever chemicals,” man-made compounds that are linked to serious health risks, as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, shifting responsibility for their cleanup to polluters from taxpayers.

The new rule announced on Friday empowers the government to force the many companies that manufacture or use perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA, and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, known as PFOS, to monitor any releases into the environment and be responsible for cleaning them up. Those companies could face billions of dollars in liabilities.

The pair of compounds are part of a larger family of chemical substances known collectively as PFAS."

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• ChemicalsPFOA
• ChemicalsPFOS
• Products
• SourcesManufacturing facilities
• Environment
• Wildlife
• Health
• AgenciesEPA
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses