Are YOU living in a secret forever chemical hotspot? Interactive map shows ... trends now
Biden today announced a crackdown on forever chemicals in American drinking water that will force utility companies and local governments to strip the toxins from tap supplies.
More than 70million Americans live in homes with water contaminated by the substances and the government estimates half of the country's water sources contains high levels of them.
Campaigners have been calling for the substances to be removed from water because a growing body of research links them to cancers, infertility and a host of other health conditions - including autism.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) handed down mandates this week that would require six substances among the group known as PFAS chemicals to drop to near-zero levels in tap water.
They have been hailed as 'life-changing' and 'historic' and are now the first-ever national regulations governing these kinds of chemicals.
TYPE YOUR ADDRESS IN THE SEARCH BAR BELOW TO FIND OUT THE PFAS LEVELS IN YOUR LOCAL WATER SUPPLY
The Environmental Working Group, an activist organization centered on environmental pollutants, mapped out the communities and military sites confirmed to have PFAS contamination
PFAS are microscopic substances that take thousands of years to break down in the environment or human body, earning them the name 'forever chemicals.'
Their main purpose is to repel water and oil, which is what makes non-stick cookware easier to clean and why certain jackets and tents can withstand rain.
The chemicals can seep into the water supply from washing dishes and can enter food if packaging is made to be grease-resistant or if the non-stick coating on pots and pans begins to deteriorate.
PFAS are also common in pesticides used to feed crops, which produces chemical-rich runoff that can enter the drinking water supply. There is no level of safe exposure to the chemicals.
A 2023 EPA report found 45 percent of drinking water sources contained at least one PFAS - with highest concentrations in the Great Plains, the Great Lakes, the Eastern Seaboard and Central/Southern California.
The testing was limited to 32 types of PFAS out of more than 12,000 that exist, meaning thousands of the chemicals could have gone undetected.
If that's the case, it may indicate the problem is even larger than the study conveys.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) data from 2020 ranked Brunswick County, North Carolina, as the top region in the US with PFAS in drinking water
