The U.S. House has passed legislation aimed at protecting Americans from PFAS contamination.

The PFAS Action Act of 2019 would require the EPA to publish a maximum contaminant level goal for the toxic family of chemicals and establish national drinking water safeguards.

Representative Annie Kuster, D-NH, was a sponsor of the bill and spoke on the House floor Friday morning after its passage. "These forever chemicals have been linked to negative health effects including cancer, impaired child development and even infertility. Granite Staters have already seen the harmful consequences of PFAS contamination, and I am pleased that the legislation we passed today will safeguard communities, clean up contaminated sites and protect public health," she said.

PFAS were widely used until the mid-2000s to make products like nonstick pans, waterproof clothes and firefighting foam. New Hampshire last year enacted some of the toughest standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, but those rules are now being challenged in court by 3M and other manufacturers.