Key facts
- EPA website now states Pfoa may still be produced, imported, and used in the US.
- Pfos is also noted as being in US production for limited, ongoing uses.
- The agency's previous claim was that Pfoa and Pfos had been phased out.
- Peer filed a complaint alleging the EPA's previous statements were false.
- Inhance claims its products do not impart Pfoa in measurable levels.
The Environmental Protection Agency has updated its website to reflect that two dangerous Pfas compounds, Pfoa and Pfos, are still being produced in the US. Previously, the agency had claimed these chemicals had been phased out. The change comes after a complaint from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), which argued the EPA's prior statements were misleading. Peer highlighted that Pfoa, classified as carcinogenic to humans, is still being produced and can leach from containers made by Inhance, a company that denies measurable leaching. The EPA's website now states that quantities of Pfoa may be produced, imported, and used, and that Pfos is in limited, ongoing US production. Inhance stated that it has reduced Pfoa impurities by 90% and that risk assessments show no unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.