The Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency has approved two new chemicals for use in datacentre and semiconductor manufacturing despite acknowledging they could cause "sudden death" and serious harms including cancer, eye corrosion, neurological damage and reproductive harm. Environmental group Earthjustice has filed a lawsuit arguing the approvals breach the Toxic Substances Control Act, which requires the EPA to restrict chemicals found to pose an "unreasonable risk" — a standard the agency itself admits these compounds meet, yet it imposed only minimal safeguards. The case matters because it highlights concerns that the administration is weakening chemical safety oversight to accelerate the build-out of AI and data infrastructure.

The two compounds are photoacid generators, used in the highly complex process of imprinting circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers, and may also be Pfas "forever chemicals" — though heavy redaction of EPA documents, including the manufacturer's identity, makes this uncertain. Pfas are used at up to 1,000 steps in chip production and do not naturally break down, accumulating in the body and environment; 2022 testing at one US plant found wastewater Pfas levels as high as 78,000 parts per trillion, far above the EPA's 4ppt drinking water limit. It remains unclear whether the approvals were fast-tracked under a controversial late-2025 Trump executive order intended to speed up datacentre chemical approvals, which critics said signalled an intent to bypass safety review laws; the EPA has not yet responded to requests for comment.