EPA sets the first limit on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. Here’s what you need to know.

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it has finalized the Environmental Protection Agency’s first set of national limits to the amount of toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water. Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, have been linked to higher rates of all manner of diseases, as well as fertility problems and poor health for newborns. According to the Associated Press, regulators hope that allowing only the lowest detectable level of these chemicals in drinking water will help stem rates of cancer and other health problems for Americans.

Here’s what you need to know.

⁉️ What’s happening now?

Water utility companies will now be required to reduce the levels of PFAS in drinking water to the “lowest levels that are feasible for effective nationwide implementation,” according to a fact sheet released by the White House Wednesday. The new EPA standard sets limits for five common types of PFAS (there are nearly 15,000 of them, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The aim is to “protect 100 million people from PFAS exposure, prevent tens of thousands of serious illnesses, and save lives,” the White House said.

🧪 What are ‘forever chemicals’?

PFAS, which stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they linger in the environment rather than eventually breaking down like most substances do, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Forever chemicals have become widespread in products ranging from nonstick cookware to bath and cosmetic products to umbrellas and even popcorn bags (though they’ve recently been banned from the latter). That’s because they have unique properties that make products stain- and water-resistant, according to the NIEHS.

As a result, the chemicals wind up in our food and water, and then in our bodies. At least 45% of tap water in America contains one or more types of PFAS, a recent U.S. Geological Survey study estimated, and a study published this week by Nature Geoscience found that the U.S. is a hotspot for forever chemicals (along with Australia, China and parts of Europe).

🩺 Why are forever chemicals bad for my health?

Scientists don’t know exactly why, but research has linked high levels of PFAS in the blood or in drinking water to higher rates of a number of health issues, including:

• Higher cholesterol levels

• Changes in liver enzymes

• Decreased vaccine response in children

• Increased risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia in pregnant women

• Small decreases in infant birth weights

• Increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer

Research suggests that “PFAs may affect different systems in the body,” Rachel D. Rogers, a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health, previously told Yahoo Life. Just as they don’t break down in the environment, forever chemicals don’t break down in our bodies, Emily Scarr, program director of Maryland’s Stop Toxic PFAS Campaign, explained.

“It’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m going to get cancer because I cooked my eggs on a PFAS pan,’ but it’s the fact that forever chemicals are everywhere that does worry public health officials about the exposure of our communities,” Scarr told Yahoo Life.

🙅‍♀️How concerned should I be about forever chemicals? Can I reduce my exposures?

Scarr previously said that the general public should be “worried, but not panicked” about forever chemicals. And perhaps more to the point, “there’s only so much you can do to reduce your exposure, and you can’t get your exposure down to zero,” she told Yahoo Life.

But there are some steps you can take. Drinking water is among the primary ways that humans are exposed to forever chemicals, according to the CDC. The EPA says that if you are concerned about the level of PFAS in your water, you can install water filters to sift out the toxic chemicals.