(Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday designated a pair of widely used industrial chemicals as hazardous substances under the country’s Superfund program, creating what are known as “forever chemicals.” Action on toxic compounds intensified.
The rule would require companies to report leaks of the two most commonly used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and help pay to clean up existing contamination.
The EPA last week announced its first drinking water standards to protect against PFAS contamination.
PFAS are a family of thousands of chemicals used in consumer and commercial products such as firefighting foam, nonstick pans and stain-resistant clothing. These have been linked to cancer and other health concerns, and are often called forever chemicals because they do not break down easily in the human body or the environment.
The new rule targets contamination from two PFAS known as PFOA and PFOS. It does not ban chemicals.
Superfund designations will ensure that those responsible “pay the costs of cleaning up pollution that threatens the health of communities,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, known as the Superfund law, allows the EPA and state regulators to undertake or order remediation of hazardous sites and to seek reimbursement from site owners, hazardous waste generators, waste transporters and others. gives.
The EPA said Friday it will prioritize enforcement against significant contributors to PFAS releases, such as federal facilities and manufacturers.
The American Chemistry Council, the leading industry trade association, on Friday called the rule “seriously flawed” and said the chemicals have not been produced in the United States for nearly a decade.
The Superfund program is “a costly, ineffective, and impractical means of addressing these chemicals,” the group said in a statement.
Environmental groups praised the EPA’s move.
“These designations will give PFAS-contaminated sites the attention they deserve,” Earthjustice attorney Jonathan Kalmus-Katz said in a statement.
The new rule, one of the most aggressive steps yet by the Biden administration to regulate PFAS, also makes public funding available for remediation.
Regulation could lead to additional litigation over liability for PFAS cleanup efforts.
Lawsuits filed by public water systems and others accusing major chemical companies of polluting U.S. drinking water with PFAS chemicals led to settlements of more than $11 billion last year.