EDC Policy Updates

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is walking back water limits for several toxic PFAS chemicals, sparking outcry from scientists and public health advocates. But how much of a difference can limits on individual PFAS compounds make if thousands of others remain unregulated? Joseph Winters reports for Grist.

Vermont officials are reassessing their tighter drinking water standards for toxic PFAS chemicals after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rolled back parts of its landmark 2023 regulations and extended deadlines for compliance. Olivia Gieger reports for VTDigger.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to gut its independent chemical risk program, potentially stalling regulation of dangerous substances and handing a long-sought victory to the chemical industry. Molly Taft reports for Wired.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will retain strict limits for two common PFAS chemicals in drinking water but delay enforcement and rescind standards for four others. Hiroko Tabuchi reports for The New York Times.

Editor’s note: This op-ed was written by Frederick vom Saal and 15 co-authors. The full list of co-authors, their affiliations, and their contact information is included below. As senior environmental health researchers and physicians, we are united in our concern about the escalating prevalence of chronic diseases in the United States. To stop the increase of these chronic disease epidemics, it is essential to change the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s current lack of regulatory oversight of toxic chemicals in food.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to phase out ingestible fluoride supplements for children, aligning with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to limit fluoride use over health concerns. Matthew Perrone reports for The Associated Press.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is backing off parts of a major drinking water rule targeting toxic PFAS chemicals, raising fears of weaker protections for millions of Americans. Amudalat Ajasa reports for The Washington Post.

A new federal push to eliminate synthetic food dyes highlights broader failures in U.S. food safety regulation and growing concerns about the health effects of thousands of additives in everyday products. Julia Belluz writes for The New York Times.

A proposed law in France that would weaken the authority of the country’s health watchdog and potentially reauthorize banned pesticides has drawn strong opposition from over 1,000 doctors and scientists. Radio France Internationale reports.

In a dramatic shake-up, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving dozens of scientists from its research office to chemical review roles, prompting fears of weakened environmental protections. Lisa Friedman and Hiroko Tabuchi report for The New York Times.

Amid rising global chemical pollution and waste, scientists are urging governments to support the new United Nations Science-Policy Panel focused on solutions and systemic change. Camilla Alexander-White and Tom Welton write for the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Maine has allocated $3 million to fund agricultural PFAS research aimed at helping farmers navigate contamination challenges and safeguard their operations. Allyson LaPierre reports for WGME.

A coalition of European Editors-in-Chief to a wide array of toxicology journals published an editorial highlighting the extensive consequences of the Trump administration’s layoffs within U.S. regulatory agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In short:

Farm groups praised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week for easing restrictions on insecticide use, a move that critics say could harm endangered species and public health. Carey Gillam reports for The New Lede.

Florida lawmakers passed a bill that would ban fluoride in public drinking water, setting the stage for the state to become the second in the U.S. to prohibit the widely used dental health additive. Mirna Alsharif reports for NBC News.

A North Carolina teacher’s cancer diagnosis and a surge in contaminated drinking water systems highlight the stakes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepares to defend or alter its limits on PFAS chemicals. Michael Phillis reports for The Associated Press.

A major United Nations meeting opened this week in Geneva to consider banning the pesticide chlorpyrifos and two other toxic compounds linked to long-lasting environmental and health effects. Leigh Krietsch Boerner reports for Chemical & Engineering News.

The EPA says it’s getting serious about PFAS, but advocates say it smells like a stall tactic wrapped in bureaucratic jargon. Keerti Gopal reports for Inside Climate News.

Microplastic pellet spills from European industry and shipping could face stricter oversight under new European Union regulations, though environmental groups warn of major enforcement flaws. Alex Shaw reports for Mongabay.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the Trump administration’s sweeping environmental deregulation agenda Sunday, saying it would not harm the environment and aligns with Americans’ economic concerns. Lauren Irwin reports for The Hill.