‘Forever Chemical’ Can Harm Thyroid, Liver, EPA Advisers Find

A panel of independent scientists is backing the EPA’s conclusion that a type of “forever chemical” found in consumer products can harm thyroid and liver function and human development.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s findings about the risks of perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)—and its conclusion that even small amounts of PFBA can be hazardous—were based on a well-supported evaluation of science, the EPA advisory panel said during a two-day meeting ending Wednesday.

The EPA’s draft analysis doesn’t mean PFBA automatically causes such problems, said panel member Joseph T. Haney, Jr., a toxicologist with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. But health problems ...