CLIFF NOTES AI growth is increasing demand for PFAS used in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced data-center cooling. ChemSec reports that most major PFAS producers are expanding or planning additional production. Semiconductor manufacturers say some PFAS applications currently lack practical drop-in substitutes. U.S., European and UK regulators are tightening or evaluating PFAS controls as industrial demand … Read more
CLIFF NOTES Seventeen environmental groups asked the EPA to reject Opteon 2P50. Chemours wants the PFAS refrigerant approved for two-phase datacenter cooling. The coalition says the company understated possible health and climate risks. Chemours says the cooling system is closed-loop and releases are low. The EPA decision could shape future chemical use across the datacenter … Read more
CLIFF NOTES St. Pauls residents sued Robeson County over alleged PFAS contamination linked to the county landfill. Testing cited in the lawsuit found about 25 parts per trillion of GenX in tap-water samples. The samples reportedly averaged 30.3 parts per trillion of PFOA. The plaintiffs want the Rocco Water Treatment Plant restricted until PFAS removal … Read more
CLIFF NOTES EPA proposed UCMR 6 on July 1, 2026. Water systems would monitor 30 unregulated contaminants from 2028 through 2030. The list includes certain PFAS and other organic compounds. EPA excluded microplastics because no validated national drinking water test method is ready. Microplastics remain on draft CCL 6 and are the subject of continued … Read more
CLIFF NOTES: Chemours agreed to pay a $22.5 million civil penalty and spend $90 million over 15 years to reduce PFAS discharges in three states. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson called the settlement “an insult to the people of eastern North Carolina.” The settlement covers PFAS discharges tied to the Ohio River, Cape Fear … Read more
CLIFF NOTES: A UNC-led study published in March in the Journal of the Endocrine Society examined PFAS exposure and children’s bone density. Researchers tracked 218 children from birth to age 12 and measured PFAS in blood at birth and ages 3, 8, and 12. Higher blood levels of PFOA were consistently associated with lower forearm … Read more
CLIFF NOTES EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced PFAS actions at a Monday roundtable in Washington. The EPA proposed a comprehensive, lifecycle-based strategy for PFAS in drinking water. Kennedy announced nearly $1 billion in new funding for states to address PFAS in drinking water. Kennedy said the work spans … Read more
CLIFF NOTES EPA proposed withdrawing national drinking water standards for GenX, PFNA, PFHxS, and PFBS and delaying others, according to SELC. SELC said utilities may be allowed to further delay limits on PFOA and PFOS. Kelly Moser of SELC said the proposal prioritizes corporate interests over public health. SELC pointed to North Carolina’s Cape Fear … Read more
CLIFF NOTES DEQ’s 2023–2024 study found PFAS in wastewater, biosolids, and soils at land application sites. Researchers reviewed 37 treatment plants and 19 land application locations across North Carolina. PFOS was found in 85% of biosolids samples and in every soil sample from repeatedly treated fields. North Carolina spreads biosolids on about 56,000 acres across … Read more
CLIFF NOTES EPA is accused of spinning PFAS progress while weakening protections. EPA is said to be taking credit for work started under Biden. PFAS reporting was set to start in July 2025. A delay and importer exemptions were proposed. Standards for six PFAS were finalized with five years to comply. EPA sought to drop … Read more