USEPA Proposes UCMR 6, Includes Ultrashort Organofluorine Compounds
On June 26, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) proposed the sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6). UCMR requires certain public water systems to collect monitoring data for contaminants not currently regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act to assess human health exposure and inform regulatory decision-making. UCMR 6 would require monitoring by public water systems from 2028 to 2030 and includes the following seven ultrashort organofluorine compounds:
USEPA Signals Shift Away from IRIS Program
On April 27, 2026, USEPA released an internal memorandum signaling a shift away from the centralized role of its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program. Established in 1985, IRIS has served as a key U.S. source of human health toxicity values for chemicals, informing federal standards, screening levels, and cleanup criteria (e.g., PFAS maximum contaminant levels and regional screening levels). Additionally, many states, tribes, and other stakeholders rely on IRIS assessments. In the memorandum, USEPA indicates that federal regulatory program offices are better positioned than the centralized IRIS process to make the science-policy judgments needed for regulatory decisions and argues that some IRIS assessments have relied on layered conservative assumptions that may not reflect real-world exposure scenarios. USEPA states that existing final and draft IRIS assessments will remain publicly available while “program office[s] should determine the best approach for making hazard and dose-response information developed under each program’s statutory and regulatory obligations.”
Florida Phases Out AFFF, Requires POTW PFAS Sampling
On June 16, 2026, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1019 into law, establishing the following phased restrictions on aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF):
The law also requires publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) to conduct quarterly PFAS sampling of domestic wastewater biosolids and, for POTWs with a design flow greater than 25,000 gallons per day, quarterly PFAS sampling of treated effluent. PFAS sampling results must be reported to DEP.
EU Finalizes Water Standards for PFAS
On May 11, 2026, European Union (EU) Directive 2026/805 went into effect, revising water legislation for PFAS in surface water and groundwater by amending the Water Framework Directive, Groundwater Directive, and Environmental Quality Standards Directive. The revisions expand surface water requirements beyond PFOS to a broader "PFAS25" group and establish a combined environmental quality standard of 4.4 ng/L expressed as a PFOA equivalent value using a relative potency factor approach. Additionally, the revised groundwater provisions more closely align groundwater protection with the Drinking Water Directive by referencing PFAS4—PFOA, PFOS, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) – and the broader “sum of PFAS” metric, which refers to the combined concentration of 20 specified PFAS and operates as a 100 ng/L enforceable drinking water standard when implemented in Member State law. Member States must incorporate the revised legislation into their respective national laws by December 2027.
European Chemicals Agency Proposes TFA Hazard Classification
On June 10, 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) adopted a proposed classification of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and its salts as "toxic to reproduction” (Category 1B). The decision is based on results from animal studies demonstrating developmental effects after prenatal exposure and effects on sperm quality, leading to the conclusion that TFA “may damage the unborn child” and is “suspected of damaging fertility.” ECHA’s recommendation now goes to the European Commission for possible inclusion in Annex VI to the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation through a future Adaptation to Technical Progress. If adopted, the classification would become legally binding across the EU and, under the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation, trigger harmonized classification, labelling, and packaging obligations for TFA and also applies to chemicals, chemical mixtures, and certain products containing TFA.
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