US EPA announces PFAS action plan

The US EPA has published its long-awaited federal plan to manage the risks posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFASs). Announced simultaneously at ten press conferences across the US, the plan outlines short- and long-term actions, across various EPA programmes, to address the more than 600 PFAS compounds commercially active in the US. Acting administrator Andrew Wheeler touted it as a "the most comprehensive cross-agency action plan for a chemical of concern ever undertaken by the agency". Among the EPA’s priorities is to use the TSCA new chemicals programme as a "gatekeeper" to ensure that new PFASs entering commerce are safe. The plan notes that through section 5 of the law, the EPA continues to impose restrictions and require the generation of data on new fluorinated compounds.