You might want to rethink drinking your tap water, as a new federal study estimates that toxic “forever chemicals” can be found in 45% of U.S. tap water.
These chemicals, or PFAS, have been linked to cancer and thyroid disease. Other studies have found them to be in the blood of 97% of Americans. Urban areas were found to be more at risk than rural ones. The chemicals were found in 70% of urban areas while they were found in only 8% of rural areas.
But the Environmental Protection Agency is now proposing stricter regulations to force water providers to monitor their systems for these harmful chemicals.
This comes just weeks after chemical manufacturer 3M reached a $10 billion settlement with U.S. public water suppliers over their part in the contamination.