Experts and environmental campaigners have warned that a second Donald Trump presidency would represent a serious threat to dealing with the toxic impact of PFAS “forever chemicals”, as well as other toxins, and could be a danger to the health of millions of Americans.
“For example, over the last year, the Environmental Protection Agency developed groundbreaking drinking water limits for highly toxic PFAS compounds, and designated several of the “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances, a move that will force industry to clean up its pollution,”the experts said. “The steps represent a major win for the water quality and taxpayers, but a new Trump administration would likely shred the rules,”.
Statements from former Trump EPA officials, the far-right Project 2025 plan, and the Trump-allied American Chemistry Council (ACC) target those rules, but also suggest industry and a second administration’s aims are much deeper. They are proposing administrative changes designed to cripple the EPA’s ability to protect public health from chemicals like PFAS.
Read also: Northern Scotland’s Flow Country becomes world heritage site
Project 2025’s assault on the EPA is coordinated with the recent conservative wins in the judiciary that undermine the agency’s ability to make rules, and the proposals’ broad aims are to consolidate as much decision-making about toxic chemicals at the EPA into the hands of a small group of Trump appointees instead of scientists. Project 2025 is being run by the rightwing Heritage Foundation as a blueprint for a Trump administration.
“Basically the entire infrastructure of how EPA considers science and develops rules is very much under attack,” said Erik Olson, legislative director with the Natural Resource Defense Council. “The Trump administration learned some lessons and would be much more surgical and effective at affixation next time.”
PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds typically used to make products that resist water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down and accumulate, and are linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.
The Biden administration in 2021 rolled out the PFAS Strategic Roadmap, a sweeping, government-wide plan designed to rein in pollution in water, air, food, soil and across the economy.
At the top of industry’s target list are the drinking water limits, which the American Chemistry Council and its allies have sued to attempt to block. A revolving door exists between the ACC, which is the fourth largest lobbying group in the US, and the Trump administration.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
