A watchdog group has filed a complaint against the Environmental Protection Agency alleging that the agency lists "inaccurate, incomplete, and misleading" information about a "forever chemical" linked to cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. 

What's happening?

The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a complaint Oct. 29 demanding the EPA retract or defend information on its website about PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical that belongs to a group of manmade chemicals commonly referred to as "forever chemicals" because they stick around in the environment and can build up in the human body. 

According to the lawsuit, the EPA says the U.S. has phased out "the manufacture and import of PFOA" and that companies participating in the 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program have brought an end to "domestic production and import of PFOA." 

However, PEER alleges both claims are "demonstrably false" because the EPA regularly discovers PFOA and other types of forever chemicals in fluorinated plastic containers.

"It is the height of hypocrisy for EPA to pretend these chemicals are no longer being manufactured when they are permeating our chain of commerce," PEER Science Policy Director Kyla Bennett, who previously worked for the EPA, said in a statement. "EPA's conflicted position epitomizes an approach to PFAS control that is both irresolute and irresponsible."

Why is this important?

The EPA launched the PFOA Stewardship Program in 2006 after concerns over the impacts of PFOA and other "long-chain" PFAS continued to grow. In addition to being linked to cancer, PFAS exposure is associated with fertility issues, liver damage, and high cholesterol, as noted by The New Lede, which examined the history of the EPA's attempts to limit PFAS use.

Despite these efforts, Inhance Technologies, LLC, continues to use a fluorinated treatment process that results in the formation of PFOA and other toxic forever chemicals, per the complaint.

PEER estimates that Inhance manufactures 200 million containers each year using these techniques. In turn, these chemicals leach into personal care products, pesticides, edible oils, and other consumer goods, according to the watchdog group.

What's being done about this?

The EPA spokesperson told The New Lede that it was reviewing PEER's complaint and will answer it "via appropriate channels" after it determines how to respond. 

"EPA is committed to combatting [PFAS] contamination. The agency is also committed to transparency and accuracy in its communications," the spokesperson said. However, the process of rolling back PFAS production has been complicated. 

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As the publication explains, the EPA ordered Inhance to stop producing PFAS during its manufacturing processes in December 2023. However, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in March 2024, agreeing with Inhance's assertion that its treatment process didn't count as "significant new use" under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Several months after that decision, PEER and the Center for Environmental Health filed a lawsuit alleging the EPA violated the TSCA by allowing Inhance to continue operations as usual. The EPA did open a period for public comment about the use of fluorinated containers in the U.S. in September 2024. Yet it has not taken further action on the matter. 

"It's a travesty," Bennett told The New Lede.  

While avoiding PFAS entirely may not be possible, you can reduce your exposure to these chemicals by supporting clean beauty and kitchenware brands and avoiding plastic products. 

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