Chemours' effort to win approval of a new PFAS chemical for data center cooling is drawing opposition from a coalition of environmental groups, which wants federal regulators to stop it.
What happened?
According to The Guardian, 17 environmental groups filed formal comments with the Environmental Protection Agency urging it to deny Chemours' application for Opteon 2P50, a PFAS-based coolant designed for two-phase data center cooling.
Earthjustice helped lead the comments, and the groups argue that Chemours based its case on flawed science that minimized both the chemical's harms and its warming potential. They also contend the company is trying to benefit from a White House push to expedite reviews for chemicals tied to data center development.
The issue is surfacing as data centers face increasing backlash over their huge water consumption. In response, some developers have promoted two-phase cooling as a more efficient option, but advocates say those systems often rely on PFAS compounds instead of water.
Chemours said in a statement that critics ignored the fact that the systems operate in a "closed loop," meaning emissions are limited. Even so, advocates noted that fugitive releases remain possible and that disposal is still required at the end of use.
Why does it matter?
PFAS earned the "forever chemicals" nickname because they resist breaking down and instead build up in both people and the wider environment. Exposure has been linked to serious health concerns, including decreased immunity, high cholesterol, birth defects, kidney issues, liver disease, and cancer.
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Public health advocates say Chemours' proposal is especially troubling because many Americans are already dealing with PFAS contamination in drinking water. Adding another widely used PFAS compound near data centers could increase risks for nearby neighborhoods and workers.
Critics also say the proposal reflects a broader pattern in which companies promote one environmental benefit while obscuring another major cost. Replacing heavy water use with a potentially toxic chemical system may be presented as progress, but opponents argue that the health consequences could fall on everyday people living near the facilities.
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Another concern is what happens if the chemical gets into the air. Industry has argued that these gases may convert into trifluoroacetic acid, or TFA. But recent research has raised alarms about that compound, which the European Chemical Agency has classified as hazardous.
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What's being done?
The groups, led by Earthjustice, are pressing the EPA to apply the toxic chemical rules already in place. Adriana Antezana, a scientist with Earthjustice, said, "We're worried that the EPA may interpret 'priority review' as 'priority approval', and we need to remind them that the executive order has no bearing on assessing health risk."
The comments also challenge an exposure limit Chemours cited for workers, saying it came from a partially industry-funded group and may not be protective enough. According to the filing, the company also left major toxicology questions unanswered.
Advocates say approval of the compound could pave the way for broader industrial or even consumer uses. Earthjustice has indicated that legal action could follow if regulators bypass the required safety review.
"The datacenter industry knows it is under fire for its enormous use of water, so they cast themselves as the good guys by using alternative cooling, but they're not telling [the public] that they're using hazardous chemicals," said Lenny Siegel, director of Chips Communities United.
As Antezana put it, "We don't want the government just to approve the chemicals because a company is saying it will help this industry."
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