Environmentalists Warn About AI Data Centers and ‘Forever Chemicals’: ‘This Issue Has been Dangerously Understudied’

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. An EPA spokesperson told Gizmodo that this decision “in no way conflicts with the agency’s work to combat PFAS contamination.” “If a new chemical meets the criteria identified by EPA to support a data center project, EPA will prioritize its review,” the spokesperson stated in an email. “It is important to note that prioritization of review does not mean that EPA is changing its robust review process, or the approach used to ensure that new chemicals are safe for human health and the environment before they enter the marketplace.” Still, environmental advocates have argued there’s good reason to be alarmed. Maria Doa, chemical policy director at the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy group, told Inside Climate News that the EPA’s language is “hugely broad” and “shocking.” “The EPA said it is going to ‘Get out of the way,’ not ‘The EPA is going to do a thorough but expedited review,’” she said. Doa believes the EPA’s move could hold consequences for communities living near data centers and facilities that manufacture components for them. Other environmentalists echoed her concerns. “We’re adding new sources of potential contamination before we even have a grasp on the extent of the impact of how the PFAS already here are impacting the environment and our bodies,” Tim Minotas, legislative director of Sierra Club Michigan, told Inside Climate News. “If the EPA is going to be speeding up these reviews for new chemicals, some fluorinated without any sort of safeguard, then the risk is going to land on residents.”