MAHA report: 'Forever' chemicals still contaminate more than 2000 U.S. communities

Over 2,000 U.S. communities are grappling with unsafe PFAs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) levels in their water, according to an updated report from the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) latest findings. EWG is a non-profit organization focusing on what it says is "a shared fight to protect the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the products we put on our skin." 

As of June 2025, EWG’s data points to 9,323 PFA-contaminated sites nationwide, with nearly 3,000 new ones flagged by the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) testing, which checks community water systems. A 2023 estimate found that a startling 45% of tap water could have one or more PFAs. 

Not every site represents a unique community, but the numbers hint at thousands of affected towns and cities. Back in 2020, EWG also reported that over 200 million Americans likely get their water from systems with detectable PFAs, underscoring the crisis’s scope.

PFAs in crosshairs under Trump/Kennedy and MAHA movement

When then-private citizen Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health initiatives began to merge with then-candidate Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement last year, it birthed a number of health-conscious priorities under the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) banner. Among those priorities are combating chronic diseases, removing chemicals from food and water supplies, reexamining Big Pharma and its power over the health and medical industry, and examining environmental factors that degrade public health. 

In recent months, the Trump administration has pushed to remove fluoride from public water supplies, with Kennedy directing the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to review its fluoridation recommendation and the EPA to reassess fluoride safety. Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in public water in March 2025, effective May 2025. Florida followed Utah and has also banned fluoride in public water supplies. 

PFAs have been an issue of concern for decades, and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are linked to cancers, immune suppression, hormonal issues, liver damage, and developmental problems in children. Known as "forever chemicals," they are synthetic compounds used since the 1940s in a wide range of consumer goods, including nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, and firefighting foams. 

These persistent chemicals accumulate in the environment and human body, contaminating water, soil, and food sources like packaging and seafood, with over 97% of Americans showing detectable levels in their blood, says the CDC.

Lawsuits abound: Environmental, property damage and consumer protection claims

In the U.S., the number of lawsuits against PFA manufacturers like 3M, DuPont de Nemours, and Chemours have escalated, with more than 30 state attorneys general and thousands of plaintiffs alleging environmental contamination and health issues, including cancers and immune suppression, from these "forever chemicals." 

Consolidated in South Carolina’s federal multidistrict litigation, some of these cases include government claims for water supply cleanup, resulting in settlements like 3M’s $10.3-$12.5 billion and DuPont’s $1.185 billion payouts. 

Consumer protection laws are also being invoked in places like Texas against 3M for false advertising as well as California's property damage claims in a 2024 lawsuit by 15 cities. The EPA’s 2024 CERCLA designation of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) as hazardous has intensified litigation. 

National attention was brought to the issue after the release of the 2019 film, Dark Waters, based on the story of American environmental attorney, Rob Bilott and his years-long legal battle with DuPont.