Jul 30, 2022
Read time: 2 minutes
Press Release

ACC Challenges EPA’s Revised Health Advisories for PFOS and PFOA

EPA’s Revised Lifetime Health Advisories (LHAs) for PFOA and PFOS Reflect a Failure of The Agency to Follow Its Accepted Practice for Ensuring the Scientific Integrity of Its Process

Tom Flanagin

Fluorotechnology / Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

WASHINGTON (July 30, 2022) — The American Chemistry Council (ACC) filed a petition in D.C. Circuit Court challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) revised Lifetime Health Advisories (LHAs) for PFOA and PFOS. ACC issued the following statement:

“ACC supports the development of drinking water standards for PFAS based on the best available science. However, EPA’s revised Lifetime Health Advisories (LHAs) for PFOA and PFOS reflect a failure of the Agency to follow its accepted practice for ensuring the scientific integrity of its process.

“While they are ‘non-regulatory levels,’ LHAs will have sweeping implications for policies at the state and federal levels. Getting the science right is of critical importance and we have an obligation to challenge these advisories based on the underlying science and the flawed process.

“The Agency’s revised LHAs for PFOA and PFOS are based on toxicity assessments that are currently being reviewed by EPA’s Science Advisory Board. Rather than wait for the outcome of this peer review, EPA has announced new Advisories that are 3,000 to 17,000 times lower than those released by the Obama Administration in 2016. These new levels are below levels that can be reliably detected using existing EPA methods.

“PFAS are a diverse universe of chemistries with properties critical to a number of important uses, including renewable energy efforts, medical supplies integral to modern healthcare, and products critical to the resiliency of our supply chains. Importantly, all PFAS chemistries are not the same. Each chemistry has its own unique properties and uses, as well as unique environmental and health profiles.

“We hope this challenge ultimately succeeds and leads to science-based policies that are protective of human health and the environment.”

American Chemistry Council

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the multibillion-dollar business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products, technologies and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health, safety and security performance through Responsible Care®; common sense advocacy addressing major public policy issues; and health and environmental research and product testing. ACC members and chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development, and are advancing products, processes and technologies to address climate change, enhance air and water quality, and progress toward a more sustainable, circular economy.