A safe and healthy environment has been a top priority since President Richard Nixon created the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over 50 years ago. Today, the United States leads the world on a number of environmental fronts including clean air and access to clean drinking water. Even with these important environmental achievements, the EPA continues to face an array of modern challenges, notably from man-made chemicals that can be found in the air, water, and soil.

These chemicals, referred to as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been around since the 1940s. The development of these chemicals has produced incredibly valuable innovations such as nonstick and stain-resistant coatings and, perhaps most importantly, certain firefighting technologies.