EPA quietly backtracks on claims US has phased out toxic Pfas compounds
Summary
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed its website to say that two harmful chemicals, Pfoa and Pfos, are still made and used in the U.S. This update came after reports showed that a company in Houston, Inhance, produces plastic containers that release Pfoa, a chemical linked to cancer and other diseases.Key Facts
- Pfoa and Pfos are types of chemicals called PFAS, which are harmful even in tiny amounts.
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer says Pfoa causes cancer in people and Pfos might cause cancer.
- The EPA used to say these chemicals were phased out in the U.S., but now admits they are still made and used.
- Inhance, a Houston company, produces about 200 million plastic containers yearly that contain Pfoa, which can leak into their contents.
- The EPA made this change after a nonprofit called Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) complained about misinformation.
- Pfoa and Pfos have been linked to health problems like cancer, heart, liver, and kidney diseases.
- The EPA never banned these chemicals but only arranged for some producers to stop making them in 2015.
- Testing in 2020 found high Pfas levels in plastic containers, leading to EPA investigations and warnings to the plastics industry.
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