A new national effort is being undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency to tackle and get rid of what are known as “forever chemicals.”
Such chemicals are officially known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and according to researchers pose the risk of cancer, birth defects, and both liver and kidney disease through contact.
The problem is that PFAS seem to be everywhere, having been used in paints, carpeting, cookware, cosmetics and water-resistant clothing for decades. According to a study released in 2024 by the Stanford School of Medicine, the use of PFAS by various industries has also led to an almost omnipresent accumulation in the nation’s water supplies, particularly near manufacturing plants.
Now the Environmental Protection Agency has announced a new outreach to both provide information on resources to manage PFAS contamination, while also offering both funding and technical assistance.
“These contaminants are well studied,” Jess Kramer, EPA assistant administrator for water, said in announcing the initiative.
What is being called the PFAS Out program will “provide practical, interactive, location-specific resources,” notes a press release issued by the EPA, “including webinars.”
The EPA plans to contact and talk with the officials of 3,000 drinking water systems across the country that have known PFAS issues.
The program will particularly focus on systems based in the countryside: “Small, rural, and disadvantaged water systems often have fewer resources to navigate complex contamination challenges,” notes the EPA announcement.
In its outreach, the agency says it is determined to “ensure that these communities are not left behind, helping every affected system reduce exposure now and position itself for full compliance with enforceable drinking water standards in the coming years.”
Upwards of 45% of the nation’s tap water, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2023, is estimated to contain PFAS. That figure, the publication Consumer Reports estimated earlier this year, means that “nearly half of us might be consuming PFAS through our drinking water every day.”
PFAS contamination, according to a map put together by the non-profit Environmental Working Group, shows an extensive drinking water presence along the East coast and throughout the Midwest, with smaller pockets identified in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.
April 16, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Graphic courtesy of Environmental Protection Agency
