In April, for the first time, the EPA imposed national limits on some PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, in drinking water.
Those chemicals are used in nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, and water and stain resistant clothing.
"PFAS are a large family of chemicals. They all have very strong carbon fluorine bonds that unfortunately causes them to remain in the environment for long periods of time," said William Dichtel, a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University.
Dichtel has been leading research to remove and destroy the harmful chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, heart disease and reproductive issues for years.
"We invented a material that is derived from corn that removes PFAS down to very, very, very trace levels," said Dichtel. "We have also discovered new ways to destroy PFAS. Even though they’re called 'forever chemicals,' there are points of weakness in these chemicals where we can take advantage of it, and break them down into safe byproducts. My lab studies that every day."
Dichtel hopes the technique could someday be a solution for finally disposing of the chemicals.
"We’re definitely moving our solutions toward the point where they can helps us all, but it is a long road to start from an academic technology and build it into something we can all use," he said.
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Many parts of Illinois get drinking water from Lake Michigan, which at most water facilities tests below new federal limits set for PFAS.
However, some communities are at greater risk of exposure, including those near military bases, industrial sites and manufacturing facilities that produce the chemicals.
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Environmental Working Group tracks PFAS contamination in the United States through an interactive map.
According to its data, there are dozens of Illinois municipalities testing above new federal limits, including Channahon.
In a statement to NBC 5, the village said in part, "The Village’s PFAS levels currently exceed the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) for two PFAS analytes in one of its wells. The Village intends to meet the compliance schedule indicated in the EPA rulemaking."
Under the new rules, public water systems that don't monitor for PFAS have three years to start.
If they detect the chemicals at levels above new federal limits, they'll have two more years to purchase and install new technology to reduce PFAS in drinking water.
"There is money available from the federal government," said Melissa Olenick, the chair for the Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association. "There’s a big demand for that money, and it’s definitely not enough. This is just such a high cost to utilities."
Olenick also works for the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency.
"At my facility, we’ve been testing for PFAS since 2008 in both Lake Michigan water and our finished water," said Olenick. "The Illinois EPA started a program three years ago where they started looking into PFAS, even before the US EPA. So, we had a jump start on it, and everybody was getting into the mindset."
Illinois is one of multiple states with guidance and notification levels in place for certain PFAS. It publishes results from PFAS testing online.
In a statement, the Illinois EPA told NBC 5, "PFAS in drinking water is a nationwide issue, and as a result, Illinois EPA took a proactive approach in 2020-2021 through an independent statewide investigation into the prevalence and occurrence of PFAS in finished water at each of Illinois’ 1,749 community water supplies."
The statement goes on to say, "Illinois EPA continues to review the information provided to states, and we will also look closely at the valuable existing data we have resulting from our statewide investigation to determine the potential impact for Illinois CWSs."
The EPA said there are meaningful and achievable steps the public can take to reduce PFAS exposure, including installing water filters at home.
