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Residents in four towns in the suburbs of Philadelphia have been drinking water that was contaminated with "forever chemicals" from two nearby naval bases, according to reporting from NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n The towns of Horsham, Warminster, Warrington and Warwick all may have drinking water with hundreds to thousands of times the recommended amount of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS for short. Possible effects of exposure to PFAS include thyroid disease, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer and birth defects. Residents in the nearby towns also suspect that PFAS may be the reason for the premature deaths of many area dogs, <\/p>\n PFAS is one of a group of chemicals nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment. Since they aren't removed through natural processes, forever chemicals can make people and animals sick long after the initial contamination. <\/p>\n The chemicals most likely got into area water through materials being held at nearby military bases. For decades, PFAS has been used military equipment like firefighting foam, in addition to many household materials. In many cases, PFAS remains in use in these materials, including firefighting foams. The Department of Defense has stated that it plans to only use the foam for emergency purposes, rather than training sessions, and is looking into possible alternatives.<\/p>\n While many advocates think that any amount of PFAS is dangerous, the EPA recommends that water be less than 70 parts per trillion PFAS to be considered safe to drink. In contrast, groundwater found by the nearby Willow Grove Naval Base was as high as 329,500 parts per trillion, 4,700 times the recommended amount. An estimated 85,000 people across two counties are at risk, mostly residents who get their water from wells on their property, a common occurrence in the area.<\/p>\n In August, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced 3.8 million dollars of extra funding be allocated to continued water treatment efforts in the areas around the bases, which had begun in 2016. Before that, residents in the four affected towns were paying for some of the treatment through an addition to their water bills. Strategies to deal with contamination have included bringing in outside water and taking functioning wells offline, in addition to water treatment. <\/p>\n The situation in Pennsylvania is part of a larger problem with forever chemical contamination near military bases. According to reporting by the Military Times, the Department of Defense has identified 401 sites<\/a> where forever chemicals near active or former military bases were found in the environment. In July, Defense Secretary Mark Esper convened a task force to address the issue and larger action should be expected. <\/p>\n The issue has even gotten the attention of Hollywood filmmakers. The movie "Dark Waters," released this past November, tells the story of an attorney's legal battle against a PFAS manufacturer. The film's lead actor, Mark Ruffalo, testified to the House Oversight Committee about the prominence of PFAS-related health issues.<\/p>\n