Groups sue Trump’s EPA over fast-track approval of toxic datacenter chemicals
Summary
President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved two new chemicals used in datacenters, which may be harmful to health and possibly linked to “forever chemicals” called PFAS. A lawsuit claims the EPA ignored significant health risks by approving these chemicals despite limited safety data and existing law requiring protection from unreasonable risks.Key Facts
- The EPA approved two new datacenter chemicals that may cause serious health problems like sudden death, cancer, eye damage, nerve damage, and reproductive harm.
- The chemicals are photoacid generators that may be PFAS, a group of very persistent and harmful chemicals often called “forever chemicals.”
- The EPA admits it does not know the exact level at which these chemicals become deadly or harmful but approved them anyway.
- Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the EPA must limit or ban substances that pose an “unreasonable risk,” but the agency placed only minimal restrictions.
- The approvals were fast-tracked, possibly under a 2025 Trump executive order aimed at speeding up chemical approvals for datacenters.
- The chemicals are used in making semiconductors, involving complex steps where PFAS are essential but often released into wastewater.
- PFAS are dangerous because they do not break down naturally and build up in the environment and people.
- The name of the chemical producer and many details in EPA documents are kept secret through redactions.
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