Three states — North Carolina, New Mexico and New Jersey — are formally demanding that the EPA start regulating air emissions from PFAS.

PFAS are man-made chemicals that are resistant to heat, grease, oil and water.

The states want four types of PFAS — PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and GenX — regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Rainer Lohmann, a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, said those three states are petitioning the EPA to recognize that PFAS transmission isn’t just through water.

One example was in North Carolina. According to a Guardian investigation, it was discovered that a PFAS production plant in the state was allegedly emitting much higher levels of the chemicals.

“Nobody knows exactly what happens in those facilities because there’s always concern that some of the PFAS will actually just be emitted into the air,” Lohmann said.

Lohmann said the EPA already regulates several PFAS in drinking water — including some of the PFAS these states are asking to be regulated as air pollutants.

“Look, the evidence for the toxicity, the harm is already there because you, EPA, have already used it to justify your regulation in drinking water,” Lohmann said.

Katherine Drabiak, a professor in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, said deciding whether to regulate these PFAS will likely not be a quick decision.

“There are a lot of complex issues to think about when it comes to regulating the emissions that are coming out of manufacturing plants and other factories,” Drabiak said.

But since the EPA recently regulated those PFAS in drinking water, she said there could be a chance.

“It might go in that particular direction, but I don’t have a crystal ball,” Drabiak said.

The EPA now has 18 months to respond to the petition.