ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OPPOSES EPA’S ROLLBACK OF PFAS LIMITS IN DRINKING WATER

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OPPOSES EPA'S ROLLBACK OF PFAS LIMITS IN DRINKING WATER

July 21, 2026

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 17 attorneys general, today filed comments opposing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed rollback on drinking water regulations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of widely used toxic chemicals that do not naturally break down in the environment, more commonly known as PFAS or "forever chemicals."

The rollback means public drinking water systems will not be required by federal law to test for PFAS, report on their presence in public drinking water or treat drinking water to remove these chemicals so people do not consume them.

"Illinois and the entire nation face the threat of PFAS contamination on a daily basis because these 'forever chemicals' do not naturally break down in the environment, posing a significant danger to human health and the environment," Raoul said. "My office has taken several actions to protect the residents of Illinois from the health impacts that can result from exposure to these toxic substances, and I will also continue to advocate for stronger regulations of these dangerous synthetic chemicals."

Raoul and the coalition filed comments reminding the EPA its action is illegal and arbitrary because the federal Safe Drinking Water Act has a specific provision to protect public health that prevents the EPA from backsliding on its regulations. Eliminating these protections would put public health at risk, which is why the attorneys general are asking the EPA to not rescind the 2024 rule.

PFAS are a group of thousands of man-made chemicals that have been used in numerous consumer products since the 1940s, including clothing, non-stick cookware, food packaging, car seats and strollers, stain resistant furnishings and floor waxes.

Today, nearly all humans have PFAS in their blood. PFAS chemicals are toxic and can persist in the environment indefinitely. PFAS chemicals can travel through the environment, including into drinking water sources, and accumulate in human blood. Even modest releases of PFAS can cause widespread pollution and damage. The EPA has concluded that many PFAS are known to cause severe adverse human health effects, including increased risk of kidney, breast, pancreatic, prostate, and testicular cancers, liver damage, decreased birth weight and birth defects, decreased vaccine response, high cholesterol, and infertility.

Two years ago, the EPA established a final rule to regulate the presence and amount of four PFAS chemicals - including GenX, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid, perfluorononanoic acid and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid - in public drinking water. That rule was adopted under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which gives the EPA the authority to set such national standards for chemicals and contaminants in water. The EPA went through a multi-year-long process to adopt this rule, including research, analysis and public feedback.

Now, the EPA proposes to eliminate this rule entirely for these four important PFAS without providing any relevant explanation or analysis on how this rollback would impact drinking water or public health or an alternative solution.

These comments are Attorney General Raoul's most recent effort to protect the public from PFAS. Earlier this year, Attorney General Raoul successfully advocated for parallel state regulations to protect drinking water from the four types of PFAS subject to the federal rollback. As a result, the Illinois Pollution Control Board adopted new regulations to ensure drinking water in Illinois is protected from these PFAS, regardless of the federal rollback. In December 2025, Raoul sent another comment letter to the EPA opposing additional rollbacks to PFAS reporting requirements mandated by Congress in 2019 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Additionally, Raoul and elected officials from several states have repeatedly urged Congress and the EPA to take prompt and aggressive actions to respond to the national PFAS crisis. After Raoul called on the U.S. Senate to pass legislation to protect the public from the dangers of these toxic chemicals, the U.S. Department of Defense received additional tools to address PFAS.

Raoul has filed multiple lawsuits regarding PFAS protection. In 2022, Raoul filed a lawsuit against 3M alleging that the company's improper handling of PFAS resulted in ongoing contamination at and around its facility in Cordova, Illinois. Raoul also filed a lawsuit against multiple companies that manufacture PFAS alleging the manufacturers have known for decades that PFAS are toxic and pose substantial health and environmental risks, yet continue to actively promote the chemicals as safe to manufacture and use. Raoul also filed a lawsuit in 2023 against multiple companies that manufacture PFAS utilized in a fire suppressing foam known as aqueous film forming foam or "AFFF" that is used to extinguish flammable liquid fires from gasoline, oil, jet fuel and other chemicals at industrial facilities. Following that lawsuit, Raoul joined a coalition supporting the EPA's proposal to set enforceable drinking water standards for six PFAS chemicals.

Joining Raoul in filing these comments are attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.