The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could expand the number of “forever” chemicals that would be deemed hazardous and face cleanup under the nation’s Superfund law.
The announcement is part of the agency’s efforts to address pollution caused by the chemicals known as PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—a class of nearly ubiquitous chemical compounds known to endanger human health. EPA proposed designating the two most studied and common types of PFAS—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluoroocanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act last September.