EPA Seeks to Gut PFAS Protections, Leaving Millions Exposed to Toxic Forever Chemicals in Tap Water

NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL • May 18, 2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed to eliminate key current standards set to protect people from unsafe levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” in drinking water, reversing legal protections adopted in 2024. Additionally, the EPA has reversed course and stopped defending the standards in a federal lawsuit filed by industry seeking to eliminate them. The EPA has sought to obscure the impact of the rollback of the PFAS health standards by creating a “PFAS Out” program, but this is a PR stunt. The EPA’s proposals to roll back protections from forever chemicals pose a threat to the health of up to 105 million people across the nation whose water has been contaminated by PFAS.