Stephanie Sy:
Amna, last month, the U.S. Geological Survey tested the nation's drinking water and found at least 45 percent of samples had one or more forever chemicals.
The study also found contamination centered in urban areas and near industrial sites. These chemicals have been used in many everyday items since the 1940s, from nonstick cookware to cosmetics to rain jackets. PFAS are also widely used as a firefighting chemical.
3M, a PFAS manufacturer, recently proposed a more-than-$10 billion settlement to address claims by hundreds of cities that want the company held liable for contaminating public water supplies. But litigation continues, and 3M will continue to make the chemicals until 2025.
For more on the possible harms of PFAS and what can be done, I'm joined by Jamie Dewitt, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at East Carolina University.
Professor DeWitt, thank you for joining the "NewsHour."
There have been studies showing that all of us have some level of PFAS in our bodies. How much should we worry about this?
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