Pfas pollution from data centers sparks environmental concerns amid AI boom

The AI data centers boom has drawn the attention of advocates as they are sounding alarm over environmental risks linked to Pfas “forever chemical” pollution.

Tech giants, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are responsible for the boom by investing millions of dollars in AI data facilities.

More worryingly, these data centers use Pfas gas, also called f-gas, which could be a greenhouse gas and can severely impact data centers’ climate than previously thought.

Environmental advocates' concerns increased in mid-September when the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to track the new Pfas and other chemicals used by data centers.

“We know there are Pfas in these centers and all of that has to go somewhere,” said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, an attorney with the Earthjustice non-profit, which is monitoring Pfas use in data centers.

“This issue has been dangerously understudied as we have been building out data centers, and there’s not adequate information on what the long term impacts will be,” he added.

Pfas belong to a class of about 16,000 chemicals and used in making products related to stain or grease resistance.

These chemicals also pose health dangers as the risks are associated with cancer, decreased immunity, birth defects, kidney diseases, and high cholesterol.

As per advocates’ observations, these data centers are responsible for increasing Pfas pollution directly and indirectly. These chemicals are used in the center's operations especially in cooling equipment, leading to on-site pollution.

These chemicals are also harmful as they cannot be fully destroyed. Meanwhile, huge quantities of Pfas are also used to develop semiconductors in data centers, thereby increasing more environmental pollution.

According to Mike Belliveau, the founder of the Bend the Curve non-profit who has lobbied on toxic chemical legislation, “Data centers are a huge generator of electronic waste, with frequent upgrades to new equipment. The processing and disposal of electronic waste is a major source of global harm.”