EPA selected its third existing “forever chemical” for additional testing and data collection, citing potential cancer risks. HFPO-DAF is one of 24 substances the agency listed as candidates for testing under its National PFAS Testing Strategy, which explains how the agency whittled down its starting list of 6,504 PFAS to those 24 candidates.
Some advocates estimate the number of PFAS in existence is closer to 12,000, depending on which definition is applied. EPA’s own definition continues to evolve. “This new shifting standard is devoid of any scientific rigor and will undoubtedly subject every EPA regulatory decision to a lobbyist feeding frenzy,” Kyla Bennett, PEER’s science policy director and scientist and attorney formerly with EPA, said in a statement.