PFAS

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are found in substances from cosmetics to nonstick pans — and end up in our bloodstreams, unable to break down. UMKC engineering professor Dr. Megan Hart studies how to get rid of these substances, and shares the everyday changes she has made for her health.

Settlement payments from chemical companies are helping cities pay for expensive PFAS removal technology. But local leaders say the dollars often fall short of covering the full costs to clean up drinking water.

A recent study found that some beer produced in the U.S. — including in St. Louis — contains PFAS, which are human-made compounds that accumulate in the human body and don't easily degrade. Studies have indicated the presence of PFAS in St. Louis-area water.

Almost half of the nation's tap water is estimated to contain PFAS, or "forever chemicals." University of Missouri associate professor Frank Xiao and his team believe they’ve found a partial solution.

The EPA could soon face a lawsuit for not protecting farmers from “forever chemicals.” Few states regulate PFAS in biosolids fertilizer, but farmers in the northeast are now calling for federal standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced the first federal limits on PFAS in drinking water. Only two Midwestern states currently have limits on levels acceptable in drinking water.