Long Island has always been defined by our water. From the sparkling clarity of the Long Island Sound to the lifeblood in our aquifers, residents have long relied on these irreplaceable resources: springs, ponds, wells, and drinking taps. But growing evidence shows that legacy, and the trust we place in it, is now under serious threat from a commonly used yet highly toxic chemical that’s rampant in our environment.
A group of synthetic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, has been detected in drinking water across Long Island and many other places around the world. Known as “forever chemicals,” these compounds are found in our water, air, fish, and soil because they don’t break down easily. These highly durable substances have been used in industrial and everyday consumer products since the 1950s to make them last longer. But that same strength means PFAS persist beyond these products and, due to limited or nonexistent regulation at all levels of government, they are able to travel through multiple pathways, lingering in our environment and bodies for decades.
As an unsurprising and arguably preventable consequence, a growing body of scientific research has linked PFAS to cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, reproductive harm, and other serious health problems, even at extremely low levels of exposure, and is estimated to be contaminating the drinking water for 165 million people in America.
Waterkeeper Alliance, as part of a national monitoring initiative, recently released a report that found 98% of tested waterbodies were contaminated with one or more PFAS. Yet even as this evidence mounts, Lee Zeldin, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and former congressional representative for eastern Long Island, is preparing to roll back critical protections that limit these hazardous chemicals in our drinking water. The consequences for Long Islanders if he rolls back safeguards are stark: according to the Environmental Working Group, roughly 1.3 million New Yorkers, primarily on Long Island, rely on water systems that exceed the current federal thresholds for PFAS contamination that Zeldin is expected to roll back.
Zeldin faces a clear choice: stand with Long Islanders and protect our access to safe, clean drinking water or stand in the way. At a minimum, he must uphold and fully implement the EPA’s PFAS drinking water standards and invest in upgrades for wastewater treatment plants to remove these compounds. But the stronger path backed by scientists and public health experts is to go further. PFAS should be regulated as one hazardous class, not one chemical at a time. That would stop companies from simply replacing one toxic compound with another, and it would streamline testing, cleanup, and enforcement across original sources and pathways.
We cannot afford to weaken protections now. Long Islanders swim, drink, and fish in these waters. Our communities, health, and economy all depend on clean water. Zeldin knows this. As a member of Congress, he voted to limit PFAS in drinking water and hold polluters accountable. Now, as the head of EPA, he’s considering rolling back the very protections he once supported. He can’t have it both ways.
Jacqueline Esposito is a Long Island resident and director of advocacy at Waterkeeper Alliance.
