The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it is dedicating an additional $52.6 million in funding to address removing chemical contaminants from drinking water in Alabama.

The funding will be distributed to local water systems across the state to help install special filters to remove the chemicals and to fund testing for PFAS — a class of man-made chemicals now widely found in bodies of water across the country. PFAS chemicals have been linked to serious health problems including cancer after long-term exposure.

Funding for the program comes from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted in 2021.

“I am thrilled that the Environmental Protection Agency is providing over $52 million to Alabama communities to expand access to clean water in our rural and underserved communities,” U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell said in a news release. “I was proud to vote for President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because grant programs like this will make a world of difference in the lives of Alabamians.

“Every American deserves access to safe and clean water, and this investment is a transformative step forward.”

PFAS chemicals have been used in a wide variety of consumer products since the 1950s, creating non-stick surfaces on cookware and stain-resistant or waterproof coatings on fabrics. These chemicals by design do not break down easily in the environment and persist for long periods of time in water. As such, they are now found in nearly every body of water on the planet, and almost all people sampled have some level of these chemicals in their bloodstream.

However, research has shown that even low-level exposure to these chemicals over a person’s lifetime — mainly through drinking water or by eating fish from contaminated waters — is associated with higher risks of certain health conditions, including some cancers.

“Too many American communities, especially those that are small, rural, or underserved, are suffering from exposure to PFAS and other harmful contaminants in their drinking water,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a news release. “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, we are investing in America and providing unprecedented resources to strengthen our nation’s water infrastructure while safeguarding people’s health and boosting local economies. These grants build on EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap and will help protect our smallest and most vulnerable communities from these persistent and dangerous chemicals.”

The EPA announced additional funding this week in a number of states through a program called “Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities.”

Drinking water systems across the state will be able to apply for grants to install additional treatment options to remove PFAS or to conduct additional testing for PFAS contaminants. Those grants will be administered by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

The funding is in addition to $463 million awarded through ADEM last year for projects to improve drinking water and wastewater projects across the state.

“This is more good news for Alabama as we continue to work to upgrade our water infrastructure,” ADEM Director Lance LeFleur said in a news release. “We are grateful to the EPA for recognizing the needs in Alabama, especially in some of our under-resourced communities, and for allocating this significant funding to meet those needs. Alabama is actually receiving more money than some of our sister states with larger populations.”