Drinking water is being compromised by the government’s latest plan to roll back or delay standards to protect it from “forever chemicals.”

U.S. EPA  Administrator Lee Zeldin and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced two proposals this week on regulations related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are called forever chemicals for a reason. 

These man-made compounds are hard to get rid of, and they’re everywhere —  on nonstick pans, raincoats, yoga pants, stain-resistant fabrics, and microwave popcorn bags as well as in drinking water. Forever chemicals have been associated with cancer, developmental issues and immune problems.

“Rolling back PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ protections is not just a policy decision; it is a declaration about whose lives are deemed disposable,” said Mustafa Santiago Ali, executive vice president of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and former senior advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“The burden will not fall equally,” Ali said. “It will settle heaviest on vulnerable communities already forced to drink uncertainty, breathe sacrifice and carry the cost of decisions made far from their neighborhoods.” 

Predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods face greater exposure to forever chemicals in their drinking water, because PFAS polluters are disproportionately located near the watersheds that serve them. This includes landfills, airports, military bases, major manufacturers and wastewater treatment plants, according to a 2023 Harvard study published in Environmental Science & Technology.

The proliferation of data centers to fuel AI is also a growing concern, because of potential for PFAS used in cooling to leach into sources of drinking water. “Data centers host tens of thousands of servers that run 24/7 in order to keep virtual networks, cloud storage and computing in operation,” the Environmental and Energy Study Institute notes. “Such servers require semiconductors, cooling systems and fire suppressants — all sources of PFAS.”

“Safe drinking water should not depend on where you live or whether states can afford to clean up contamination after the fact,” said Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States, a national alliance of environmental health organizations and coalitions, pushing to transition away from toxic chemicals and hold chemical polluters accountable.

The EPA wants to rescind water standards for four PFAS (GenX, PFBS, PFHxS and PFNA). It also seeks to delay enforcement of two other PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) up to two more years through April 2031.

The public can make comments during the EPA’s virtual hearing on July 7. Registration is first come, first served, and the deadline is July 1. Written comments can be submitted under Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0654 for the next 60 days, beginning today.

The Safe Drinking Water Act “requires a sequential approach to regulation,” Zeldin claims, contending that the Biden-Harris administration “combined steps simultaneously, which is not permitted.”

“The Trump EPA is committed to Make America Healthy Again,” he said. But even some Trump supporters are not convinced and believe that the administration’s stance on PFAS is misleading and potentially harmful.

And people of all backgrounds remember that early on Donald Trump and Zeldin stated the administration’s goal to “Make the United States the Artificial Intelligence Capital of the World,” which requires data centers and many data centers require PFAS.

“Every American has the right to clean, safe drinking water, but the Trump EPA’s latest move will make turning on the tap more dangerous for millions of families across the country,” Margot Brown, Ph.D., senior vice president of environmental justice and health equity at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). 

“Nobody should have to worry whether the water in their homes will make them sick,” Brown said. “These toxic forever chemicals have no place in our communities, in our homes or in our bodies.” 

Fierce co-founder Yanick Rice Lamb, Ph.D., is an independent journalist and medical sociologist specializing in environmental health.