New EPA Rule Cracking Down on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

Equipment used to test for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS, in drinking water at Trident Laboratories in Holland, Mich., on June 18, 2018. Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP

In what is billed as a move to safeguard public health, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized the first-ever national limits on so-called forever chemicals in drinking water.

The new standards are the first legally enforceable drinking water guidelines aimed at reducing exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).