This week, the EPA passed yet another new environmental rule: limiting the level of highly toxic and cancer-causing “forever chemicals” permitted in our drinking water.

The substance, also known by a very long scientific name or simply PFAS, is used to manufacture products resistant to water and oil, such as nonstick pans, water-repellent clothing, cosmetics, firefighting foams and sex toys. It takes thousands of years for them to break down in nature and they’ve been found on Mount Everest and inside 99% of humans. I’m still talking about chemicals, okay?!

Studies show PFAS are linked to serious health problems, including cancer, reproductive issues and liver and kidney disease, even though tests show they only make up a minuscule amount relative to the mass of our bodies, about four parts per billion. It’s a tiny number to quantify. If expressed in time, it would represent four seconds within 32 years.

That said, research says forever chemicals are still dangerous. The new rule is expected to save thousands of lives. Hey, that’s good news!

However, the burden of filtering our PFAS-laden drinking water will fall on water utilities, most of which are publicly owned and not-for-profit. A majority of the nation’s water utilities serve fewer than 3,000 people. The government expects industry-wide compliance to cost about $1.5 billion per year. But utility executives say the costs will be far higher and ultimately fall on taxpayers in the form of increased rates that could, if you’ve been reading your Reckon news, disproportionately affect low-income people and communities.

It seems odd that the EPA, whose authority to create rules and regulations is granted by a Congress that receives tens of millions of dollars from the chemical lobby every year, should ask the public to shoulder the cost of cleaning drinking water. All while the industry that created the problem continues to legally dump forever chemicals in our rivers, lakes and bays.

But it doesn’t just affect humans. PFAS have been found in even higher levels among animals, placing a greater strain on wildlife conservation efforts to protect hundreds of threatened and endangered species in the United States and worldwide. Who’s filtering their water?

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