EPA to begin rulemaking for drinking water limit for PFA chemicals later this year

FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sign is seen on the podium at EPA headquarters in Washington, U.S., July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ting Shen/File Photo

(Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday laid out a plan to control a group of toxic chemicals found in Americans' drinking water but will not set a limit for them until later this year.

Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Thursday announced the agency's Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan, a series of short- and long-term steps to help states exposed to these common chemicals found in Teflon and foams used by firefighters linked to cancer and other health risks.

The agency did not announce a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS, a legal limit for the amount the chemical can be allowed in drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

By the end of this year, EPA said it will undertake a rulemaking process around that by the end of the year.

"We are moving forward with several important actions, including the maximum contaminant level process, that will help affected communities better monitor, detect, and address PFAS,” Wheeler said.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)