US environment agency announces new safety limits for fluorinated chemicals

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued stricter safety standards for four different per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, saying that these chemicals are more dangerous than previously thought. Now the agency is considering regulating these compounds as one class rather than individually.

So far, the EPA has identified about 8000 different types of PFAS compounds. This family of highly-fluorinated chemicals, which have been in use since the 1940s in various industries, share attractive properties such as the ability to repel oil, grease and water, and can act as lubricants.