Maryland found ‘forever chemicals’ in school water fountains. Now what?

Bottled water has become a familiar sight in some schools in Maryland, where officials have found the drinking water tainted with lead, known to cause brain damage in children. The bottles may begin rolling out in more schools. This time the culprit is something called PFAS. Ahead of new federal regulations that go into effect in 2027, state environmental officials have begun looking for the insidious contaminants more commonly known as “forever chemicals,” highly toxic substances used for decades in food packaging and water- and fire-proofing materials. (Photo: Shan Wallace/The Baltimore Banner)