Newsline reporter Lisa Sorg on the first-ever federal regulations for PFAS in our drinking water

PFAS. Most North Carolinians had never heard that term until a few years ago, but sadly it’s now a permanent part of the lexicon.

It refers, of course, to a class of dangerous substances – often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment — that shortsighted manufacturers and polluters have introduced into water, soil, plants and animals, including humans, just about everywhere. PFAS are associated with a variety of cancers and human health problems.

Effectively regulating PFAs is incredibly complex, but to its credit, the EPA recently established the first-ever federal regulations on six types of toxic PFAS in drinking water, and earlier we sat down with our colleague – NC Newsline environmental reporter Lisa Sorg – to get the details.