Big tech companies are investing tens of billions to build data centers to power the AI boom: In September, Bank of America analysts found that construction spending on data centers in the U.S. was at an all-time high of $40 billion.
But while this surge in new data centers is good news for the tech industry, the projects have sparked serious concern among environmentalists and public health experts. In addition to consuming huge amounts of energy and water, these facilities emit pollution that contributes to global warming and harms human health. That includes a possible proliferation in polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Collectively known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” these substances are known for their ubiquity, their possible risks to human health, and the fact that they are near impossible to get rid of.
“We know there are PFAS in these centers and all of that has to go somewhere,” Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, an attorney with environmental non-profit Earthjustice, told The Guardian. “This issue has been dangerously understudied as we have been building out data centers, and there’s not adequate information on what the long term impacts will be.”
What experts know about PFAS in data centers
PFAS are manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Scientists have detected PFAS in soil, air, water, food, and many parts of the human body, including blood and breast milk. That pervasiveness has spurred researchers to investigate the risks they may pose to our health, and while there is still a lot we don’t know about PFAS, some studies suggest that exposure to certain kinds of these substances may lead to adverse health outcomes, including increased risk of some cancers, decreased fertility, low birth weight, and high cholesterol.
PFAS are generally used in the cooling systems for AI data centers, as well as in the coatings for cables or other server components. Yet despite their presence in data centers, there has been little testing for PFAS air or water pollution from these facilities. What’s more, the EPA does not require companies to report PFAS they use or dispose of.
Why advocates are sounding the alarm
Concerns over PFAS pollution from data centers aren’t new, but they reached a fever pitch in mid-September when the EPA announced it would “speed up” the review of new chemicals used in data center projects.
“The Trump EPA wants to get out of the way and help speed up progress on these critical developments, as opposed to gumming up the works,” EPA chief Lee Zeldin said at the time.
... continue reading