EPA flagged potentially deadly effects from new chipmaking chemicals, then approved them
The Environmental Protection Agency is facing a lawsuit after approving two new chemicals for semiconductor manufacturing, despite identifying potential serious health effects and lacking full risk data. Environmental groups argue the EPA should not have allowed the chemicals on the market without more testing and stronger protections. These chemicals are used in producing computer chips that power various technologies, including rapidly expanding data centers.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being sued over its approval of two new chemicals critical for semiconductor manufacturing, a process that underpins artificial intelligence and data center expansion. Environmental groups Earthjustice, CHIPS Communities United, and the Sierra Club filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, arguing that the EPA greenlit the chemicals despite identifying potential serious health effects, including "acute lethality," and acknowledging insufficient data to fully quantify some risks.
Jon Kalmuss-Katz, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, criticized the EPA for approving the chemicals without knowing safe or unsafe exposure levels and without implementing adequate protections for communities and workers. Dr. Sue Fenton, a toxicologist at North Carolina State University, echoed these concerns, emphasizing that the uncertainty regarding the lethal dose makes the chemicals too dangerous for use, even with EPA-imposed restrictions that the environmental groups deem insufficient. The specific identities of the chemicals remain confidential business information, though they may be PFAS.
The lawsuit comes as the Trump administration pushes to accelerate AI infrastructure development, with the EPA having announced in September 2023 a prioritization of new chemical reviews for data center projects. Kalmuss-Katz stressed that this initiative does not exempt the EPA from its obligations under federal chemical safety laws. Dr. Fenton highlighted the increasing importance of understanding the chemicals used in this growing industry to ensure safety and prevent environmental contamination from waste.