EPA faces lawsuit over claims it fast-tracked approval of toxic 'data center chemicals' — exposure to photoacid generators used for semiconductor manufacturing could result in ‘sudden death,’ also appear to be long-lasting PFAS
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These chemicals are crucial for semiconductor manufacturing, but they must also come with a lot of safety rules to prevent them from leaking out and poisoning the environment.

Full title: EPA faces lawsuit over claims it fast-tracked approval of toxic ‘data center chemicals’ — exposure to photoacid generators used for semiconductor manufacturing could result in ‘sudden death,’ also appear to be long-lasting PFAS

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
    3·
    2 days ago

    It also said that “the chemicals may present an ‘unreasonable risk’ to workers and the public.”

    Dear god, don’t put me in the position where ibhave to defend the EPA, please.

    “It is said” is a horrible argument. Come with facts or go away. They don’t even knoenwhich chemicals exactly will be used, so how about you start there?

    • Manjushri@piefed.socialEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      I beg to differ. It should be required that manufacturers of such chemicals do the research to show that their product is safe before they allow its manufacture and workers to be exposed and the chemical to be dumped into the environment.

      From the Guardian article linked to in OP’s article:

      The EPA acknowledged in its approvals that it does not know the level at which the chemicals are “acutely lethal” or cause other serious health damage, but the agency still approved them anyway, said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, an attorney with the Earthjustice nonprofit, which filed the suit.

      The EPA knows that the chemicals are harmful, but doesn’t know how harmful yet approved them anyway. As for the facts, that’s kind of hard to get since:

      The two compounds approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for import and immediate use in facilities across the US are photoacid generators that also appear to be Pfas “forever chemicals”, though it is unclear because much of the EPA documents are redacted . Some Pfas are commonly used in the production of semiconductors.

      Emphasis mine. They’ve approved chemicals for use in manufacturing and have redacted much of the approval notice so that no one can double check their work. If this lawsuit fails, we may not know how bad these chemicals are until they are sickening and killing workers and wildlife.