is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals.
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This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on all things at the intersection of environment and technology, follow Justine Calma. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
Some stories that I’ve worked on as an environmental journalist still haunt me. One of the first to get under my skin happened to be about forever chemicals.
Technically known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), they’re called forever chemicals because of particularly strong molecular bonds that keep them from breaking down even in harsh conditions. It’s a trait that also means they can linger in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years and potentially in the human body for several years. Most people in the US already have PFAS in their blood, according to national health surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that have included PFAS testing since 1999. People eat food and drink water contaminated with the chemicals, or they might be exposed if they live near or work at a factory where there are PFAS.
Researchers are still trying to fully understand the impact that these chemicals can have on the human body. Some of the most widely used forever chemicals have already been linked to health effects such as kidney and testicular cancer, hypertension and preeclampsia in pregnancy, higher cholesterol, and more.
How it’s going
A landslide of lawsuits have forced some companies to do something about their pollution. Companies including 3M (maker of Scotchgard) and Dupont (manufactured Teflon) have subsequently made commitments to phase down or phase out the chemicals. Levels of two of the most prevalent forms of PFAS in Americans’ blood have dropped by 70 and 85 percent as production and use fell over the past couple decades, according to the CDC. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized limits on five of the most common types of forever chemicals in drinking water last year.
Problem solved, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are actually thousands of different kinds of forever chemicals. And new health concerns have cropped up with chemicals meant to replace the most notorious types of PFAS.
Oh, and deregulation just might be the EPA’s favorite word now under the Trump administration. In May, it proposed rolling back drinking water standards for PFAS. The agency says it plans to extend compliance deadlines for two types of PFAS and rescind existing regulations for the remaining three types.
This is all happening as President Donald Trump follows in former President Joe Biden’s footsteps when it comes to trying to onshore computer chip manufacturing, following the global semiconductor shortage that roiled all kinds of industries from gaming to automobiles. AI, reliant on even more advanced chips, raised the stakes.
Companies that make forever chemicals smell an opportunity. The Dupont-spinoff Chemours, for example, says on its website that its role is “indispensable” in the push to build up a domestic supply chain of semiconductors. The company makes Teflon, which is used in chip manufacturing because of its resistance to heat and corrosion. Chemours is also developing fluids that could be used to cool servers in data centers in a process called two-phase immersion, which typically involves PFAS.
What happens next
It’s not just Chemours that’s under a microscope. Concerns have been raised about new semiconductor fabs in the US, including about the chemicals they use and the risks that they could pose to workers and nearby residents. The Semiconductor Industry Association has actually put together a PFAS Consortium — which Chemours and Dupont joined — because PFAS regulation “appears likely to disrupt the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain and requires a supply chain-wide approach to address,” according to a July 2024 FAQ document.
Now, however, the industry is in a decidedly more chemical-friendly regulatory environment under the Trump administration. Trump’s AI Action Plan aims to speed data center development in part by fast-tracking permitting and slashing environmental reviews for semiconductors facilities and related “materials.” In July, the president granted “certain chemical manufacturers that produce chemicals related to semiconductors” two-year exemptions from Biden-era pollution regulations. And a former chemical industry lawyer, who now has a senior position at the EPA, has worked to undo another Biden-era rule that makes companies responsible for cleaning up the PFAS pollution they create, The New York Times reported.
EPA press secretary Carolyn Holran said in an email to The Verge that the EPA is still “holding polluters accountable” and that “no decisions have been made” regarding the proposed rule change reported on by The New York Times. Chemours is investing in “state-of-the-art emissions control technologies” at its manufacturing sites to reduce chemical releases, spokesperson Jess Loizeaux said in an email to The Verge.
The EPA still has to finalize rule changes and is probably going to face legal battles as it tries to slash water and air protections. It’s already taken forever to start to get a grip on the PFAS problem, and it looks like the chemicals are poised to stick around even longer as the Trump administration prioritizes deregulation and demand for computer chips not letting up.
By the way
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