The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has released a statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for certain PFAS chemistries. The ACC expressed their commitment to protecting the health, well-being, and safety of Americans by ensuring access to safe and reliable drinking water for all.
However, the ACC raised serious concerns about the underlying science used to develop the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) in the proposed regulation. Peer-reviewed research has validated these concerns, questioning the basis for the EPA’s overly conservative approach to health assessments and highlighting flaws in the underlying science. Even the EPA’s own Science Advisory Board criticized much of the research supporting the proposed standards.
Local governments, water agencies, and organizations across the country have echoed the ACC’s concerns about the proposed regulation. The American Water Works Association estimated that implementing this regulation could cost nearly $4 billion annually, significantly more than the EPA’s initial estimate. Additionally, this new regulation fails to accurately assess the benefits to communities and overlook other high-priority water and infrastructure issues for local water systems.
The ACC emphasized that incorporating new real-world data into
