For years, communities downstream and downwind of Chemours have experienced high levels of PFAS (forever chemicals) in their public drinking water and water wells.

According to extensive research by NRDC, the AI boom isn’t just increasing the demand for data centers, but it’s also increasing demand for PFAS manufactured by companies like Chemours. How?

Chemours, a spin-off of DuPont, is a major manufacturer of PFAS (aka toxic “forever chemicals”), and it is betting big on data centers. PFAS can be used on a massive scale in data centers and can be released during electrical arcing to the environment for cooling, fire suppression, and increasing flow. PFAS are used in the production of semiconductors and other electronic components. Unfortunately, the entire life cycle of the PFAS used in data centers puts human and environmental health at risk, from the manufacturing of PFAS to their use on-site at data centers and their eventual disposal.  

Report by Corinne Bell, Senior Attorney NRDC. Coauthored with Hope Taylor, now senior advisor for Clean Water for NC. 

Read full report here