Officials finalise a new federal rule for drinking water - designed to protect people from toxic...
The US has imposed its first nationwide limits on several harmful chemicals found in tap water across the country.
Research suggests millions of Americans likely drink water contaminated with PFAS chemicals, which are linked to a host of health issues including cancer.
On Wednesday, officials finalised a rule that requires local governments to remove six versions of the chemicals from water systems.
"Drinking water contaminated with PFAS has plagued communities across this country for too long," said EPA administrator Michael Regan.
The new regulations give local municipalities three years to monitor for the chemicals in their water systems.
If harmful levels of the so-called forever chemicals are found, governments have five years to reduce the amount of PFAS in the water supply.
The EPA says between 6% to 10% of 66,000 public drinking water systems across the US may have harmful levels of the pollutants.
Common household filters - such as those made by Brita - are not designed to remove PFAS from drinking water, though more expensive systems that go under the sink, such as reverse osmosis filters, have been shown to reduce PFAS levels.
Where do 'forever chemicals' in drinking water come from?
US to limit 'forever chemicals' in drinking water.