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April 9, 2026
As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to rise across the country, data centers have expanded and multiplied in tandem to accommodate AI’s massive workload demands. These data centers host tens of thousands of servers that run 24/7 in order to keep virtual networks, cloud storage, and computing in operation. Such servers require cooling systems, semiconductors, and fire suppressants—all sources of PFAS forever chemicals.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, form a group of more than 15,000 synthetic chemicals best known for their applications in non-stick, water- and grease-resistant, and firefighting products. The chemical structures that make them suitable for such uses, carbon-fluorine bonds, are among the strongest known chemical bonds and are therefore resistant to breaking down in the environment—a property that has earned PFAS the nickname “forever chemicals.” These forever chemicals are present in our air, soil, drinking water, and overall food chain.
Due to their durability, PFAS accumulate—in both the environment and the body—over time, posing real concerns for long-term human and ecological health. When these forever chemicals enter the body, they accumulate in human tissue instead of being metabolized by the body like other contaminants. This bioaccumulation has toxic effects especially for the liver, blood, and kidneys. Researchers have found that PFAS impact fetal growth, organ development, reproductive health, and other biological processes, and have been linked to high rates of cancer. Studies show that most Americans have some level of PFAS in their blood.
The potential negative impacts of data center expansion on carbon emissions, water usage, and electricity bills are relatively well documented. But their potential PFAS pollution, both direct and indirect, is less well known.
Data centers primarily use PFAS to cool their servers and to suppress fires. Direct PFAS pollution from data centers is difficult to ascertain and likely limited because cooling systems generally run as closed loops. But manufacturing companies that produce the PFAS materials used in data centers have historically emitted PFAS, which harms communities and ecosystems near their facilities. Chemours is one of the largest global producers of PFAS and one of the biggest suppliers of PFAS materials for data center coolants and semiconductor production (semiconductors are used to make the microchips deployed in data centers in vast quantities). The company aims to expand production of its PFAS materials, in particular resin for semiconductor manufacturing, to accommodate the growth of data centers across the country. This will likely have repercussions on the environment. In North Carolina, airborne PFAS emissions from Chemours operations have contaminated more than 7,000 drinking water wells, according to researchers.
Another concern is the large amount of e-waste produced by data centers, due to the constant development of faster microchips. Discarded microchips and other electronic equipment often end up in landfills, where they can release chemicals, including PFAS, into the environment. Public and environmental health measures are needed to ensure that the disposal of these harmful chemicals does not affect surrounding environments.
Cooling Technology
Data center servers generate large amounts of heat as they operate. Coolants serve to prevent the equipment from overheating and breaking down. Historically, water has been the go-to coolant. But as 45% of data centers are sited in water-stressed regions, operators have increasingly been looking to alternative cooling solutions. Two-phase immersion cooling has become particularly popular for being cost effective and highly energy efficient. This technology, however, uses carbon and fluorine, the building blocks for several types of PFAS. These particular PFAS, furthermore, break down into trifluoroacetic acid, a toxic chemical linked to reproductive health risks.
Fire Suppression
Between the high heat radiating from servers and the sheer volume of electrical equipment inside them, data centers are ripe environments for fire risk. Analysis of fire outbreaks at data centers since 2021 has identified causes such as lithium-ion battery failure in semiconductors, water damage of electrical equipment, and other equipment failures. To mitigate risk, data centers require specialized fire suppression systems. Clean agent fire suppression systems are typically used over water-based systems due to their non-conductive, residue-free properties, whereas water-based systems can damage servers. FM-200 and Novec 1230 are common fire-suppressing clean agents—and scientists classify both as PFAS.
In 2022, the U.S.-based manufacturing conglomerate 3M announced that it would stop producing PFAS, including Novec 1230, by the end of 2025 (it has since confirmed that it has ended all PFAS manufacturing). This shift by a major industry leader towards alternative fire suppression solutions may signal the industry as a whole is pivoting to PFAS-free options.
Matt Dunn, a PFAS scientist at Tetra Tech, states that PFAS regulation represents a unique struggle due to how widespread the chemicals are. Since PFAS are in everyday products that are used by every American, from food to bath products, the question becomes: where do you draw the line? “Do you go after the user, or do you go after the manufacturer," asks Dunn. "And understanding the difference there is very important.”
Many emerging technologies hold promise in terms of destroying PFAS, but they are energy intensive and so expensive. This cost then brings up the ongoing debate over who should bear the cost of potential solutions.
In 2021, Maine became the first state to progressively ban products containing PFAS with An Act to Stop Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution (Public Law 2021, c. 477). Maine prohibits the sale of PFAS products in numerous industries with effective dates from 2026 to 2040. While coolants containing PFAS will be banned starting in 2040, semiconductors and firefighting foam are not affected by this law.
Minnesota’s Amara’s Law (Minnesota Statute § 116.943) requires the state’s pollution control agency to regulate intentionally-added PFAS and to set standards for PFAS reporting in 2026. As of January 1, 2025, Minnesota prohibits the sale and distribution of 11 categories of industrial products containing intentionally-added PFAS. By 2032, the state will require a total ban on the sale of products containing PFAS chemicals unless they are deemed unavoidable.
Because of its ubiquity, PFAS pollution would probably be best addressed at the national level.
But as of 2026, there is no one direct and all-encompassing avenue for PFAS regulation at the federal level. Existing hallmark legislation [AOL1] such as the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and the Toxic Substances Control Act all offer opportunities to address PFAS contaminants at various stages and to varying degrees. The Trump Administration has focused on deregulation, however. The EPA announced in May 2025 that it proposes to push back the compliance deadline for the enforcement of PFAS standards in drinking water to 2031. In September 2025, EPA announced plans to fast-track the review process for chemicals used in data centers, with a goal of making the United States the “AI capital of the world.” In line with this initiative, President Trump issued an executive order directing the EPA, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Commerce to expedite their respective permitting processes for data center materials and infrastructure—including coolants, semiconductors, and fire suppressants.
More recently, Congress has shown interest in addressing PFAS contamination through Congressional hearings, bill introductions, and funding appropriations. The 117th Congress designated $1 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and other programs to address PFAS in wastewater, via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). The current 119th Congress has proposed bipartisan legislation such as the PFAS Research and Development Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R.6667), which would extend the authorization of appropriations for PFAS research and development under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2025 (H.R.6668), which would set standards and limitations for PFAS emissions under the Clean Water Act. Both frameworks could be applied to PFAS contamination from data centers.
Further Congressional action on PFAS regulation could take many forms, from national PFAS reporting standards to bans on PFAS products (following the lead of Maine and Minnesota). Congress could also support research into compounds that would serve as alternatives to PFAS without its significant human health risks.
Author: Andie May Hardin
Advancing science-based solutions for a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world
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