{"id":2154214,"date":"2026-02-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=2154214"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:57:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:57:24","slug":"louisville-forever-chemicals-pfas-drinking-water-ohio-river-chemours-trump-epa","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/louisville-forever-chemicals-pfas-drinking-water-ohio-river-chemours-trump-epa\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisville Found PFAS in Drinking Water. The Trump Administration Wouldn\u2019t Require Any Action."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Every day, the Ohio River sends billions of gallons of water flowing past Louisville\u2019s pumping station, where the Kentucky city\u2019s utility sucks it up to turn it into tap water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"block--sidebar alignright \">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kaiser-health-news-partner block--partner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"partner__image--link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/news\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"partner__image\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/npr-hi-res-logo.png?w=120\" alt=\"Partner logo\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"partner__content\">\n\t\tThis article is from a partnership that includes\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpm.org\">Louisville Public Media<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/npr.org\/shots\">NPR<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/\">KFF Health News<\/a>. It can be <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/louisville-forever-chemicals-pfas-drinking-water-ohio-river-chemours-trump-epa\/view\/republish\/\">republished for free<\/a>.\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure it tastes good and is safe to drink, a small team of scientists and technicians is constantly testing the water for pH, odors, heavy metals, and microbes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But unlike many smaller municipal utilities in the U.S., <a href=\"https:\/\/louisvillewater.com\/\">Louisville Water<\/a> regularly checks for PFAS \u2014 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s a class of chemicals used by manufacturers for decades to make things like nonstick pans, cosmetics, raincoats, food wrappers, and firefighting foam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eesi.org\/papers\/view\/issue-brief-the-state-of-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-america-2024\">Research<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.c8sciencepanel.org\/index.html\">studies<\/a>&nbsp;have linked PFAS to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/pfas\/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas\">health risks<\/a>&nbsp;like cancer, reduced immune system functioning, high cholesterol, and developmental delays in children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re also known as \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because their strong chemical structures make them degrade incredibly slowly in the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, they litter&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2666016424000379\">soil<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2666016425000349\">water<\/a>&nbsp;sources around the world and can be found&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.atsdr.cdc.gov\/pfas\/data-research\/facts-stats\/index.html\">in the blood<\/a>&nbsp;of almost everyone in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n<div\n\tclass=\"wp-block block--newsletter  \"\n\tdata-type=\"kaiser-health-news\/newsletter\"\n\tdata-align=\"center\"\n\tstyle=\"\"\n>\n\t<h4 class=\"newsletter__title\">\n\t\t<a href=\"\/email\/\">\n\t\t\tEmail Sign-Up\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/h4>\n\t<p class=\"newsletter__description\">\n\t\tSubscribe to KFF Health News&#039; free Morning Briefing.\t<\/p>\n\t\n<form\n\taction=\"\/email-signup\/\"\n\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form\"\n\tmethod=\"post\"\n>\n\t<input type=\"hidden\" id=\"kaiser_hubspot_nonce\" name=\"kaiser_hubspot_nonce\" value=\"dc9818bd64\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2154214\" \/>\t\t\t\t<label\n\t\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__label--email\"\n\t\tfor=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form-email\"\n\t>\n\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\n\t\t\tYour Email Address\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<input\n\t\t\tautocomplete=\"email\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__input--email\"\n\t\t\tid=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form-email\"\n\t\t\tname=\"kaiser_hubspot_email\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Your email address\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t<\/label>\n\t<button class=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__submit\">\n\t\tSign Up\t<\/button>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>One type of PFAS that the Louisville water technicians are tracking is HFPO-DA, also known by a trade name,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chemours.com\/en\/about-chemours\/genx\">GenX<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just over a year ago, workers noticed an unexpected increase in the level of GenX detected in a sample of the raw, untreated water drawn from the Ohio River for filtering and processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The GenX levels Louisville found in December 2024 were 15 times the reading from the previous month: 52 parts per trillion versus 3.4 ppt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA part per trillion is like one second in 32,800 years. Put your head around that, right?\u201d said&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/peter-goodmann-b678564\/\">Peter Goodmann<\/a>, the city utility\u2019s director of water quality and research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He offered another way to think of it: One part per trillion would be a single drop of water in 20 Olympic swimming pools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Goodmann told KFF Health News and NPR he wasn\u2019t worried about local customers\u2019 safety, because the increased levels were still pretty low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Risks posed by low PFAS concentrations are measured over a lifetime of exposure, he said. And recent data from Louisville shows the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpm.org\/investigate\/2025-06-25\/pesky-pfas-present-in-louisville-water-data-show\">PFAS levels in city drinking water<\/a>&nbsp;fell back within planned federal safety limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, water is just one way people can be exposed to PFAS, Goodmann added. \u201cBecause you get a lot more of these pollutants from packaging, from prefixed food, cake mixes, weird things, you know, popcorn boxes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Louisville Water\u2019s data showed that the elevated levels of GenX in the water sample drawn in December 2024 fell once the water underwent typical treatment and filtering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg\" alt=\"A blue water fountain and water bottle fill station stands near a grassy field\" class=\"wp-image-2155392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=150,113 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=500,375 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=120,90 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=170,128 170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=315,236 315w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Louisville-PFAS.jpg?resize=630,473 630w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Louisville Water drinking fountain, near a city pump house.<span class=\"photo-credit\">(Morgan Watkins\/Louisville Public Media)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Federal Regulation Fight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The federal government has long regulated the levels of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/dwreginfo\/drinking-water-regulations\">certain contaminants<\/a>&nbsp;in drinking water, such as arsenic, E. coli, and lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Environmental Protection Agency didn\u2019t issue regulations regarding PFAS until 2024, during the final year of the Biden administration. The new limits applied to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/04\/10\/1243989339\/here-are-the-white-houses-plans-to-help-reduce-pfas-in-water-systems\">six types of PFAS<\/a>&nbsp;in drinking water. Starting in 2029, utilities that exceeded the limits would have been required to treat the water to reduce the contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But after Donald Trump\u2019s reelection, new EPA administrator&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/aboutepa\/epa-administrator\">Lee Zeldin<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-announces-it-will-keep-maximum-contaminant-levels-pfoa-pfos\">announced<\/a>&nbsp;the agency will keep the rules for only two types of PFAS, called PFOA and PFOS, but drop the restrictions on the other four types, including GenX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, the EPA announced it will give water utilities two additional years, until 2031, to comply with the remaining rules, attributing the change in part to the financial burden on rural water plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many utilities, large and small, may need to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/05\/20\/1252537887\/tucson-is-one-of-the-first-places-in-line-for-money-to-clean-up-pfas\">invest in infrastructure to remove PFAS<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/news\/national-news-release\/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us\">federal study<\/a>&nbsp;estimated about 45% of U.S. tap water contains at least one type of PFAS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it announced the final PFAS limits, the Biden administration anticipated that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-first-ever-national-drinking-water-standard\">up to 10%<\/a> of the estimated 66,000 U.S. public drinking water systems affected by these regulations might have PFAS levels high enough to require them to take action to reduce the contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Finding the Source<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Goodmann\u2019s team traced the increased levels of PFAS up the Ohio River, past Cincinnati, and through Appalachian forests, all the way to a West Virginia factory about 400 miles upstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chemours.com\/en\/\">Chemours Co.<\/a>&nbsp;uses GenX&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.plasticsengineering.org\/2024\/08\/fluoropolymers-explained-005977\/#!\">to make fluoropolymers<\/a>, a plastic critical to the semiconductors that power phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its Washington Works facility near Parkersburg, West Virginia, has a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpm.org\/news\/2019-11-25\/dark-waters-puts-pfas-saga-on-big-screen-as-ohio-valley-contamination-comes-to-light\">history of PFAS pollution<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lawyer,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.taftlaw.com\/people\/robert-a-bilott\/\">Robert Bilott<\/a>, fought the plant\u2019s previous owner,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dupont.com\/\">DuPont<\/a>, in court,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2015\/08\/17\/teflon-toxin-case-against-dupont\/\">ultimately revealing<\/a>&nbsp;the company knew that a type of PFAS it was using, PFOA, was toxic but didn\u2019t disclose that information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DuPont went on to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/dupont-water-contamination-settlement-new-york-hoosick-53a70887abbcaf686b545252de107600\">settle<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/news\/2025\/08\/dupont-agrees-to-2b-record-settlement-with-nj-over-forever-chemical-pollution-at-4-sites.html\">various<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/business\/dupont-settles-lawsuits-over-leak-of-chemical-used-to-make-teflon-idUSKBN15S18T\/\">lawsuits<\/a>&nbsp;that claimed it contaminated local environments with forever chemicals. The company has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chemours was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chemours.com\/en\/news-media-center\/all-news\/press-releases\/2015\/the-chemours-company-completes-spin-off-from-dupont-and-launches-as-an-independent-publicly-traded-c\">spun off<\/a>&nbsp;from DuPont in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Louisville Water team\u2019s calculations eventually showed that the December 2024 spike in GenX levels corresponded to publicly available data from Chemours about its chemical discharges into the Ohio River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Chemours\u2019 responses to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mountainstatespotlight.org\/2025\/05\/30\/chemours-pfas-pollution-ohio-river-lawsuit\/\">a lawsuit<\/a>&nbsp;filed by a West Virginia environmental group, the company denied its discharges were connected to Louisville\u2019s GenX spike. (Louisville is not a party in the lawsuit.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company also contended that sampling data showed levels of GenX in the river and in downstream utilities\u2019 treated drinking water are \u201cindisputably safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PFAS Removal Will Challenge Water Utilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under current federal environmental regulations, Chemours can release some chemicals into the Ohio River. But it has exceeded the legal limits repeatedly over several years, according to court filings and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-takes-first-ever-federal-clean-water-act-enforcement-action-address-pfas\">the EPA<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wvrivers.org\/\">West Virginia Rivers Coalition<\/a>&nbsp;filed its lawsuit in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EPA&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-takes-first-ever-federal-clean-water-act-enforcement-action-address-pfas\">took enforcement action<\/a>&nbsp;in 2023, when it said it found Chemours\u2019 West Virginia factory had repeatedly exceeded permit limits for two types of forever chemicals, GenX and PFOA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the West Virginia Rivers Coalition said in a court filing that the EPA\u2019s consent order for Chemours \u201cis not being diligently prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chemours declined to answer questions from KFF Health News and NPR, citing ongoing litigation, except to point out that Louisville\u2019s \u201cfinished drinking water is safe for consumption,\u201d with PFAS levels below the EPA\u2019s regulatory limits, as stated on <a href=\"https:\/\/louisvillewater.com\/your-water\/water-quality\/pfas\/\">Louisville Water\u2019s website<\/a> and in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cincinnati-oh.gov\/water\/water-quality-and-treatment\/water-quality-reports\/2024-water-quality-report-updated-march-2025\/\">annual water quality report<\/a>&nbsp;from Cincinnati, which also draws from the Ohio River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As research into the health effects of PFAS exposure continues, environmental advocates say it\u2019s imperative for companies to meet the limitations set by government permits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEnvironmental regulatory permitting is a license to pollute,\u201d said&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nick-hart-2077403b\/\">Nick Hart<\/a>, the water policy director for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kwalliance.org\/\">Kentucky Waterways Alliance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re permitting someone to put something into the atmosphere, into water, into soil that would not be there otherwise. And so when we talk about the safe levels,\u201d he said, \u201cstop using the word \u2018safe,\u2019 right? This is the maximum allowable limit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is possible to remove PFAS from drinking water. For example, Louisville\u2019s utility is spending about $23 million to redesign its powdered activated carbon system, which is one method used to take out PFAS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But PFAS removal can get expensive, especially for small, rural towns, Hart said. Preventing contaminants such as PFAS from getting into a community\u2019s drinking water supply is easier and less costly compared with removing it on the back end, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Chemours\u2019 responses to the lawsuit, the company acknowledged that its violating its current permit but noted it\u2019s working with government regulators on an eventual fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The federal judge in the case,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wvsd.uscourts.gov\/judges-info\/district-court-judges\/joseph-r-goodwin\">Joseph Goodwin<\/a>, decided that wasn\u2019t fast enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In August, he&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mountainstatespotlight.org\/2025\/08\/07\/chemours-forever-chemicals-judge-order\/\">ordered Chemours to immediately stop<\/a> overpolluting. The company quickly filed an appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The West Virginia Rivers Coalition declined to speak with KFF Health News and NPR but did point to its&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wvrivers.org\/2025\/08\/judge-orders-chemours-to-reduce-pollution-immediately\/\">August news release<\/a>&nbsp;on the judge\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a victory for public health and the Ohio River,\u201d Autumn Crowe, the organization\u2019s deputy director, said in the statement. \u201cThe Court recognized what communities have known for years: Chemours has been polluting our water and ignoring its legal obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a court filing for the case, Goodmann said that elevated levels of GenX could make it more challenging for water utilities such as Louisville\u2019s to comply with federal rules for safe drinking water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In regard to Chemours specifically, Goodmann told KFF Health News and NPR that when government regulators issue the company\u2019s next&nbsp;permit, he wants them to take into account the water treatment plants downstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo what we do is manage risk, and we start that at the river,\u201d he said. \u201cIt sounds weird, but source water protection \u2014 keeping the stuff out of the river \u2014 is a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This article is from a partnership that includes&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpm.org\">Louisville Public Media<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/npr.org\/shots\">NPR<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/\">KFF Health News<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After detecting a sudden spike in PFAS in its drinking water, the city traced it upstream along the Ohio River to a factory in West Virginia. But the EPA has relaxed Biden-era plans to regulate PFAS levels. So what happens next?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2155391,"template":"","meta":{"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"kff_featured_video":0,"kff_show_featured_video":false,"kff_show_mute_audio_button":false,"custom_shortlink":"\/MjE1NDIxNA","kaiser_health_news_byline_override":"","kaiser_health_news_can_republish":true,"kaiser_health_news_featured_image_caption":"","kaiser_health_news_header_overlay_color":"","kaiser_health_news_header_theme_slug":"","kaiser_health_news_hero_image":0,"kaiser_health_news_backdrop_padding":115,"kaiser_health_news_hide_partner":false,"kaiser_health_news_kicker":"","kaiser_health_news_kicker_background_color":"","kaiser_health_news_kicker_text_color":"","kaiser_health_news_kicker_url":"","kaiser_health_news_nav_theme_slug":"compact","kaiser_health_news_nav_transparency":false,"kaiser_health_news_sharing_title":"","kaiser_health_news_show_featured_image":true,"kaiser_health_news_subheadline":"","kaiser_health_news_suppress_kicker":false,"kaiser_health_news_suppress_subheadline":false,"kaiser_health_news_update_time":"","kaiser_health_news_vertical_image":0,"kaiser_health_news_title_align_left":false,"kaiser_health_news_custom_header_image":0,"photo_byline":[],"story_update":"","update_position":"bottom","kaiser_syndication_sites":[],"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-02-12T10:06:17Z","apple_news_api_id":"a2d567fc-8af2-4ec2-9d3c-eb76fa57d75f","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-02-12T14:57:30Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AotVn_IryTsKdPOt2-lfXXw","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":["https:\/\/news-api.apple.com\/sections\/20265c01-23d7-4d15-96e0-0691b89c3772"],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[303360169,439525647,28006,10314551,439528530,31304,36835],"tags":[439524290,59349,4458,439524171,439524082],"primary-topic":[],"partners":[439524320],"funder":[439528999,439525512,439528750],"coauthors":[439530473],"class_list":["post-2154214","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courts","category-midwest-bureau","category-public-health","category-rural-health","category-southern-bureau","category-states","category-syndicate","tag-environmental-health","tag-kentucky","tag-ohio","tag-trump-administration","tag-west-virginia","partners-npr","funder-helmsley-charitable-trust","funder-missouri-foundation-for-health","funder-robert-wood-johnson-foundation"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Louisville Found PFAS in Drinking Water. The Trump Administration Wouldn\u2019t Require Any Action. - KFF Health News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After detecting a sudden spike in PFAS in its drinking water, the city traced it upstream along the Ohio River to a factory in West Virginia. But the EPA has relaxed Biden-era plans to regulate PFAS levels. So what happens next?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/louisville-forever-chemicals-pfas-drinking-water-ohio-river-chemours-trump-epa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Louisville Found PFAS in Drinking Water. 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