Tim Williams and Marisa Jacques report for New York State of Politics that New York's attorney general announced this week that New York and more than 20 other states reached an updated $12.5 billion settlement with the company 3M for their role contaminating drinking water sources with a “forever chemical” known as PFAS. Rob Hayes, director of clean water for Environmental Advocates NY, said, “so many drinking water sources in New York and across the country are contaminated by these chemicals and are putting New Yorker’s health at risk when they put on the tap.” They are called forever chemicals because they take so long to break down. PFAS can also build up in the body and cause health issues such as cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency issued drinking water standard proposals earlier this year which said there is no safe level of PFAS. The EPA also proposed a cleanup standard of four parts per trillion, which is lower than New York state’s standard of ten parts per trillion. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.