In this Friday Jan. 7, 2011, file photo, water flows from a water fountain at the Boys and Girls Club in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the new Trump administration withdrew from a Biden administration plan to help limit the discharge of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”

In what is becoming another blatant contradiction of President Donald Trump’s second term, the executive branch seemingly went back on its promise to remove chemicals from the American diet with the move.

The withdrawn initiative would have set discharge limits on certain forever chemicals that are designed to never break down. According to Environmental Working Group, 99% of Americans have been exposed to these chemicals through everyday items like pots and pans, as well as polluted drinking water. Exposure to these forever chemicals has been linked to a variety of health complications, including increased risk of cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility and reduced ability of the body’s immune system.

At the same time, the administration is keeping its promise to roll back EPA regulations that are designed to protect public health, a continued pattern from Trump’s first term. On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Trump’s EPA administrator pick Lee Zeldin with a 56-42 vote. Zeldin is a former New York congressman who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

A multitude of state legislatures have taken steps to address PFAS exposure, with new policies currently being taken up in Heartland States like Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Legislation to ban the sale of products containing PFAS chemicals and require manufacturers to disclose products with intentionally added PFAS have been introduced in the Illinois legislature. Other states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have already adopted policies to combat PFAS exposure.