Toxins of the Past and Present: Why We Need the EPA

The water we drink, the air we breathe, and the wildlife we love are all at risk without the necessary environmental protections and regulations to keep us safe from harmful toxins and pollutants. At this very moment, long-standing programs and staff are being slashed from the agency charged with this very purpose: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environmental protections are critical for the health of our ecosystems and communities, and the science and regulatory capacity of the EPA exists to prevent the dire adverse health outcomes caused by environmental pollution–for people and wildlife. Without efforts to protect us, we risk exposure to toxins of the past and present–a fight that has been going on in the United States for decades.

Conservation in Context: The Historic National Outcry for An EPA

In the spirit of celebrating the National Wildlife Federation (NWF)’s 90th anniversary, it is important to reflect on both the progress and the challenges that the environmental and conservation movements have faced over the last century. When NWF was founded in 1936 at the first North American Wildlife Conference in Washington D.C., the goal was to “unite the voices of conservationists” and work to advance conservation policies at the national level, setting the stage for federal protections for wildlife and the environment, particularly with respect to unregulated hunting and over-exploitation of natural resources. 

When the second World War began, a few years after NWF’s founding, much of society’s focus shifted to human survival and preventing avoidable disease and death. DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), a chemical insecticide that was initially thought to be relatively safe, was introduced and widely used to combat insect-borne diseases like malaria and typhus that were killing soldiers and civilians, and later used for agricultural pest control. 

With the 1962 release of Rachel Carson’s influential Silent Spring, the public became aware that DDT had devastating effects on bird populations. As described in Carson’s book, a “silent spring” is a season without birdsong, as DDT decimated egg shells of several bird species, leading to plummeting populations. Concerned about the loss of beloved species like bald eagles and peregrine falcons, the American people united in organizations like NWF to demand national-level bans on toxins like DDT.

When giving his State of the Union address in January of 1970, President Nixon stated that “restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond political party and beyond factions… it has become a common cause of all the people of this country.” So, thanks to the widespread advocacy and support from organizations and the general public across the country, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in December of 1970–34 years after NWF was founded.

It wasn’t until DDT was banned in 1972 by the EPA that bird populations were able to begin recovering. For humans, DDT is now associated with increased risk of certain cancers and is harmful to the reproductive and nervous systems. Just think about it: how many lives–and species–could have been lost if the EPA hadn’t banned DDT? 

Current Crossroads: The Clean Air Act and Particulate Matter

The same year that the EPA was established, the Clean Air Act of 1970 was passed, expanding the role the federal government had in regulating pollution in the United States. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six common air pollutants known as criteria air pollutants. Particulate matter (PM), one of the six criteria air pollutants, is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air, produced largely by industrial activities and motor vehicles.

Particulate matter is categorized into two size classes: PM2.5 (less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) and PM10 (2.5 – 10 micrometers in diameter). While PM10 is a primary pollutant, which comes directly from a polluting source (like a dusty road or a factory), PM2.5 can be both primary and secondary (resulting from chemical reactions of gases in the atmosphere). The extremely small size of these particles allows them to travel deep into our bodies, including our lungs, bloodstream, and more, and cause significant harm to the health of people and wildlife. 

In January of 2026, the EPA announced that it will weaken air pollution standards for new power plants and no longer factor the economic cost of human health into decisions about pollution regulations. This is dangerous for our health and the health of wildlife, because it means greater exposure to pollutants like PM, which sickens wildlife as well as people. And with increasing energy demand in the United States driving up electricity generation, it is all the more important that regulations protecting the air we breathe are strengthened, not weakened. 

Newer and emerging toxins: PFAS

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used in consumer products since the 1950s. They are man-made, long-lasting chemicals that are found nearly everywhere, from the water we drink and the food we eat to our lands, homes and workplaces. Scientists have found that PFAS are in the blood of nearly 97% of Americans that have been tested, and in wildlife across the globe, from alligators in North Carolina to polar bears in the Arctic.

Similar to DDT, and even more recent pesticides like neonicotinoids, PFAS “bioaccumulates,” or increases in concentration in the tissues of organisms as it moves up the food web, which not only harms wildlife, but also the people who hunt and fish them. Also, once they have entered the environment, they are nearly impossible to eradicate. PFAS differs from DDT in its use cases–while DDT was originally used to protect humans from insect-borne diseases, PFAS are largely utilized for convenience in commercial products, such as textiles, cleaning products, personal care products, and other household items.

The impacts of PFAS are only recently beginning to come to light, with studies linking exposure to certain levels of PFAS to increased risk of cancer, developmental impacts in children, reduced immune system function, and more. Similar impacts have been reported in wildlife species. Even still, scientists do not yet have a full picture of the long-term impacts of PFAS on human health and wildlife.

Despite this, the administration is loosening PFAS regulations, and the Office of Research and Development at EPA is being entirely dismantled, hampering the nation’s ability to further investigate and regulate the impacts of emerging pollutants like PFAS. Looking back on our very recent history–during which we narrowly avoided catastrophe by effectively researching and then banning DDT–we know we must now act swiftly to ensure we don’t repeat the past, or worse.

The EPA as an Agency that Protects all Americans

It is our duty as Americans to stand up for the rights and protections that allow us to live healthy lives–for ourselves, wildlife, and future generations. The EPA’s ability to conduct independent research and inform and enforce environmental policy is what brought us out of a dangerously polluted past. In the face of continued industrial and non-point source pollution, the future health of people, wildlife and the environment depends on the future of the EPA.

For decades, Americans have benefited from the EPA’s ability to implement environmental protections such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The recent repeal of the Endangerment Finding, and elimination of the Office of Research and Development are some examples of actions that reduce the credibility of the EPA. If the EPA isn’t enforcing these policies, who is?

Air, water, and chemical toxins are a continuous threat, and we need the enforcement of protections now more than ever. Just as President Nixon asserted in 1970, public and environmental health should be a non-partisan issue. Our representatives in Congress have the power to ensure that the EPA carries out its mission: to protect human health and the environment. 

These policies affect all of us, just as they did during the founding of NWF and the EPA. You can continue to be informed, advocate for these critical protections, and use your vote to protect human and wildlife health.

Check out this action alert from our friends at the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund.