ATLANTA — In a major announcement on Wednesday, the government said that the EPA is rolling back limits on forever chemicals, or PFAS.
The announcement overturns a landmark move by the Biden administration that required companies, for the first time, to limit six forever chemicals from leaching into our water.
The data reporting from companies was supposed to start in 2027, but now, that has been delayed.
Like a lot of metro Atlantans, Natasha Dixie buys her water instead of using what comes out of her tap.
“It scares me,” Dixie told Channel 2 investigative reporter Sophia Choi. “Because it has the chemicals in it, and I don’t want to give it to my family.”
Chemicals, like PFAS, are man-made forever chemicals and are used in hundreds of products like stain and water-resistant fabrics, nonstick pots and pans, food containers, and even makeup.
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They can cause all sorts of health issues, including cancer and developmental problems.
That’s why the Biden administration wanted to start limiting them in our drinking water, starting with six out of thousands of known variants.
But the Environmental Protection Agency announced it is relooking at the requirement for four of them and delaying the requirement for the other two until 2031.
Right now, researchers at a University of Georgia lab in Griffin are working on ways to get the forever chemicals out of our water.
“They are robust. They don’t easily degrade,” researcher Jack Huang said.
The team collected samples from wastewater treatment plants and tested them for forever chemicals, before using various methods to try and remove them, including filters, chemicals and electric shocks.
“We know it is a forever chemical. And so, we’re trying to figure out ways to get rid of it within the treatment plants,” researcher Gary Hawkins said.
For many Georgia families, even a small amount is too much risk.
“I don’t use water from the tap. Never,” Stephanie Amir said.
The EPA said one reason for the delay is the testing method. They want to make sure the software used to collect and analyze the data from manufacturers is accurate.
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