EPA’s “Forever Chemical” Rollbacks Put Millions in Danger
Eliminating rules against toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” puts New Yorkers’ health, clean drinking water at risk
September 12, 2025
Riverkeeper Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Lauren Daisley, Riverkeeper Communications Director, laurend@riverkeeper.org, 914-478-4501 ext. 230
Austin Heller for Environmental Advocates NY, austin@propulsionstrategies.com, 706-505-4689
Albany, NY – Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) announced that it will no longer defend drinking water safeguards that protect Americans from four toxic PFAS chemicals, also known as "forever chemicals." The protections are facing a legal challenge by the chemical industry and trade groups.
Adding insult to injury, the EPA is also asking the federal court to throw out existing limits that protect drinking water from those four PFAS chemicals (PFNA, PFHxS, GenX, and PFBS).
Current rules require water utilities nationwide to test drinking water for PFAS and to install filtration or find a new water source if high levels of PFAS are detected. If the EPA succeeds in rolling back these critical drinking water protections, over 1 million New Yorkers will be exposed to dangerous PFAS contamination every time they turn on the tap, putting their health at risk.
Rob Hayes, Senior Director of Clean Water at Environmental Advocates NY, said:
“The EPA's announcement is a big win for corporate polluters and an enormous loss for New York families. Administrator Zeldin wants to strip clean water protections away from millions of New Yorkers, leaving them at risk of exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals every time they turn on the tap. New Yorkers will pay the price of this disastrous plan through medical bills — and deaths — tied to kidney cancer, thyroid disease, and other harmful illnesses linked to PFAS.
“New York's leaders can't allow the Trump administration to take away our drinking water protections. Governor Hochul and the NYS Department of Health have the authority to continue implementing the Biden administration’s strong, health-protective PFAS standards here in New York. If they don't, we urge the State Legislature to advance a bill, currently sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Grace Lee, that would codify these clean water safeguards once and for all.”
Shannon Roback, Science Director at Riverkeeper, said:
“Delay and omission of the standards that protect more than a million people from exposure to PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water increases their risk for a variety of health problems. That’s unacceptable — plain and simple. New York State should update its drinking water standards to mirror the federal standards that the EPA is abandoning, which included six PFAS chemicals. This way, New York State can build on its progress protecting communities from the risk of reproductive and developmental health effects, and cancer associated with exposure to PFAS.”
Background:
- About PFAS: PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are a class of over 15,000 toxic chemicals linked to kidney cancer, thyroid disease, and other harmful illnesses. EPA has concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to at least two PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS.
- Biden-era rules: The Biden EPA finalized landmark regulations on six PFAS chemicals in drinking water in April 2024. Under those regulations, which are currently in force, water utilities must complete initial PFAS testing by 2027 and comply with the standards by 2029. The EPA’s 4 ppt MCLs for PFOA and PFOS are lower and more health-protective than New York’s current MCLs of 10 ppt each for PFOA and PFOS, which the state established in 2020.
- EPA Rollbacks: The EPA announced its intention to rollback the federal PFAS standards, including delaying protections on PFOA and PFOS by two years, in May 2025.
- Risks to New Yorkers: Over 1 million New Yorkers are exposed to at least one of the four PFAS for which EPA has asked the court to scrap protections. This means that those communities will not even be required to monitor for those chemicals or be assured that the PFAS remain at safe levels. A recent study also found that at least 189 communities across New York (more than 1.3 million New Yorkers) are exposed to between 4 and 10 ppt of PFOA or PFOS.
- What Albany should do: New York has the authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act to continue implementing the EPA’s standards, even if the EPA won’t. If the Governor’s administration chooses not to advance state regulations to address this issue, Senator Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Grace Lee have introduced a bill (S.3207-A/A.8634) in the State Legislature to codify the federal PFAS standards in state statute.
Environmental Advocates NY is New York’s leading environmental watchdog, working for over 50 years to advance strong environmental laws and hold decision-makers accountable. Learn more at eany.org.
Founded in 1966 as the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River, and safeguards drinking water supplies through community partnerships, science, and law. We continue to work toward the goal of a swimmable, fishable, and drinkable Hudson River for all. Learn more, get updates, and support our work by visiting riverkeeper.org.
Related campaigns
Protecting Hudson River watershed drinking water at the source
Riverkeeper ensures that drinking water sources stay clean and safe through vigilant advocacy and conservation efforts
Emerging and unregulated contaminants
Toxic chemicals can harm the health of people, wildlife, aquatic ecosystems
New York City drinking water
The water supply for 9.5 million New Yorkers depends on keeping our watersheds clean and protected