The federal government is once again moving backwards on PFAS—the toxic, persistent “forever chemicals” polluting our bodies and environment—at the exact moment new research is showing even more alarming health impacts. Action Alert!
THE TOPLINE
- The EPA is proposing major rollbacks to PFAS reporting requirements—gutting the very data collection the agency once said was essential for understanding and addressing the PFAS contamination crisis.
- At the same time, the EPA is approving new PFAS pesticides like epyrifenacil, further increasing environmental contamination despite mounting evidence of irreversible ecosystem and health impacts.
- New research shows that PFAS exposures at low levels can damage sperm and disrupt reproductive health, underscoring how dangerous and irresponsible these regulatory reversals are.
EPA Proposes Major Rollbacks to PFAS Reporting
On November 13, 2025, the EPA released a proposed rule that would dramatically weaken PFAS reporting requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The earlier version of the rule was designed to give the agency comprehensive data on all manufactured and imported PFAS—including those in finished consumer products, mixtures, impurities, and byproducts. That earlier rule contained no exclusions and no minimum thresholds. EPA itself emphasized that this full reporting was necessary to:
- better characterize the sources and quantities of PFAS in U.S. commerce,
- build a comprehensive nationwide PFAS database,
- support risk assessments and actions under other federal laws, and
- help determine whether additional public health protections are needed.
Simply put, without data, informed policy decisions cannot be made. Without data, we’re flying blind.
But, likely under heavy industry pressure, the agency is now proposing to add several exemptions to these reporting requirements that the chemical industry routinely lobbies for, such as:
- PFAS in imported articles
- PFAS below a 0.1% de minimis concentration
- PFAS impurities
- PFAS byproducts not used commercially
- PFAS created through incidental exposure
- PFAS that are non-isolated intermediates
- Small quantities of PFAS manufactured for R&D
This is a huge giveaway to industry. EPA is proposing to weaken the data collection that it said it needed to better understand the PFAS crisis and act on it. The result will be less information, less accountability, and less protection for consumers and communities.
Remember, PFAS break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment and the human body—hence the “forever chemical” moniker. Even small amounts of PFAS can lead to health problems. At one point, the EPA lowered the acceptable level of certain PFAS in drinking water to near zero.
At the Same Time, EPA Is Approving New PFAS Pesticides
While loosening PFAS reporting requirements, EPA is simultaneously paving the way for more PFAS to enter the environment. Good for PFAS manufacturers and companies using PFAS—bad for the rest of us, and the environment.
The agency recently proposed approving epyrifenacil—the fifth PFAS pesticide greenlit since the Trump administration too office—despite overwhelming evidence that PFAS in pesticides contaminate waterways.
Epyrifenacil breaks down into trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), one of the most pervasive PFAS water contaminants on Earth. Scientists warn TFA pollution may already represent a planetary boundary threat, meaning the damage to ecosystems and human health may be irreversible.
Rather than reconsidering the use of PFAS pesticides in light of mounting evidence of harm, EPA is approving more of them. Does that suggest the business agenda trumps (excuse the pun) the MAHA agenda?
New Research: Environmentally Relevant PFAS Levels Damage Sperm
Public protections against the dangers of PFAS are weakening at a time when emerging science is telling us even more about the threat these chemicals pose.
A new study on male mice exposed to environmentally relevant levels of PFAS found:
- Significant reductions in daily sperm production
- Lower circulating testosterone and dihydrotestosterone
- Major alterations to sperm small non-coding RNA profiles—changes linked to disrupted early-embryonic gene expression
This research shows PFAS can harm reproductive health long before symptoms appear, and long before exposure levels reach what regulators consider “significant.”
When even trace exposures alter the sperm epigenome, the idea of exempting PFAS present at “low concentrations,” as EPA now proposes, becomes indefensible.
Taken together, these developments paint a disturbing picture.
What Needs to Happen
We need public health to guide policy and decision-making, not corporate convenience. We need to stem the tide of this burgeoning public health disaster before it’s too late. The EPA should not be loosening reporting requirements and approving more PFAS-laden pesticides.
Failure to act now guarantees deeper contamination and greater health harm for decades to come—especially for children and future generations.
ANH-USA will continue fighting for stronger PFAS regulation, transparency, and science-driven decisions. We’ll be submitting comments on the proposed rollbacks, and we encourage our members to speak out as well.
Now more than ever, the public needs the truth about PFAS—as one of the most profound problems of chemical contamination facing the world today—and a government willing to act on it.
Action Alert!
