The EPA is currently weighing whether to weaken national drinking water limits on PFAS — the so-called “forever chemicals” that don’t break down in the environment and have been tied to cancer, heart disease, strokes, and other serious health issues.

Right now, the federal limit is set at 4 parts per trillion (ppt), one of the most stringent standards in the world, aimed at minimizing health risks. But that could change. On April 8, the agency is expected to decide whether to maintain that threshold or roll it back. The review comes after a lawsuit from water utilities was paused by a federal appeals court — giving the EPA space to reconsider its position.

Environmental and health advocates are sounding the alarm. The science on PFAS is well established: they’re highly toxic, persistent in both the environment and the human body, and even tiny amounts can be harmful over time. Relaxing these standards now would put millions of people at greater risk — and it would shift the burden to states to decide how aggressively they want to protect their residents.

Some states, like New York, have already set their own PFAS limits — 10 ppt — which is more than double the current federal cap. But many experts argue even that’s not enough. If the EPA weakens the federal standard, New York and others will have to choose between stepping up or standing down.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who previously supported PFAS protections as a member of Congress, has yet to confirm where he stands now. His agency has already walked back a rule that would have curbed PFAS discharges into waterways, raising further concerns about what direction the agency is headed.

More than 1.3 million New Yorkers rely on water systems that could be impacted by any change in federal policy. If national protections are weakened, many of those systems may no longer be required to filter out PFAS at all.

For communities already exposed, this decision is about more than policy — it’s about public health, long-term safety, and whether clean water remains a guarantee or becomes a privilege.