Trump-era EPA Meddled in PFAS Science, Agency Watchdog Finds

In the final days of the Trump administration, a political appointee at the EPA ordered a last-minute review of the hazards of a “forever chemical,” triggering delay, confusion, and significant changes to a nearly final work product, the agency’s inspector general found in a Friday report.

By suddenly replacing single toxicity values with less-protective toxicity ranges for perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), the Environmental Protection Agency exposed the public to health risks and broke with its standard review and clearance process, according to the agency’s Office of Inspector General.

PFBS is a replacement for perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, which is one ...