You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey, it's Mariel. I want you to look around your home. Do you have a nonstick frying pan?

A raincoat? Dental floss designed to slide easily between your teeth. All of these items have

something in common. They often contain man-made chemicals called PFS. That stands for per and polyphloral

alcohol substances. They're in a lot of stuff that we as humans really like, like non-stick pans that

are really great for frying eggs or raincoats that keep you really dry. But the same qualities that

make them useful also make them really difficult

to break down. So they can stick around for a long time in our bodies and the environment.

New Hampshire Public Radio reporter Mara Hoplamasian has spent years reporting on PFAS,

which are also known as Forever Chemicals. One reason for that nickname is that they're super

strong, in part because one of the things

that unites this whole group of chemicals is that they have a bond between a fluorine atom

and a carbon atom, which is the strongest single bond in organic chemistry.

PFS are everywhere.

They build up in our bodies, and even tiny amounts are linked to serious health problems, like cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, preeclampsia, ulcerative colitis, and more.

And a major source of exposure for a lot of people is drinking water. Government estimates show that these chemicals are coming out of the taps in nearly half of homes in America.

Mara is the host of a podcast called Safe to Drink. It follows the story of one town that finds out its water has been contaminated. And on this episode of Life Kit, we're going to talk about how to live in a world where these toxins are everywhere.

We'll go over how to find out if PFAS are in your drinking water,

what kinds of water filters can tackle them,

and what other changes you can make to limit your exposure. All right, Mara, thanks for being here.

Thank you so much for having me.

Let's lay out the basics.

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