The Trump administration is moving to rollback limits on some PFAS, the toxic forever chemicals found in the drinking water of millions of Americans.

The Biden era rule set the first national drinking water limits for several PFAS compounds, but industry groups argued the standards were legally flawed and too costly to meet.

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin says the chemicals still need

to be addressed, but that the previous administration overreached.

There are two ways to act on PFS. You can do it the way the last administration did, where

a regulation would be rushed out the door, certain steps were skipped as the law had required,

water systems were giving

deadlines that many of them have communicated to us that they're going to have trouble

meeting, and we left the rule open to be struck down in court.

That approach makes for a good press release and doesn't make for cleaner water.

William Brangham has been reporting on this and joins us now.

So, William, before we get into these changes, remind us what these chemicals are and why scientists are so concerned about them.

PFS are these remarkably resilient, durable chemicals.

I mean, they're kind of a wonder of chemistry.

They are in dental

floss and couches and Gortex and nonstick pans. They have helped revolutionize certain industries,

but they are also some of the most insidious pollutants on the planet. We call them forever

chemicals, as you mentioned, because they just do not break down out in nature,

and they have spread everywhere on Earth.

I can't think of a place that they have tested and looked for them where they have not found them all over the globe.

They get into us by us eating food that has PFAS in them, by products in our own lives,

and by drinking water that is contaminated with that.

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