The Environmental Protection Agency is warning that two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds found in drinking water pose health risks even at levels below the government's ability to detect them.
Most of the two compounds, known as PFOA and PFOS, have been voluntarily phased out by U.S. manufacturers, although there are a limited number of ongoing uses, and the chemicals remain in the environment due to the fact they do not degrade over time. The two compounds are part of a larger cluster of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS that had been used in consumer products and industry since the 1940s.
