PFAS

After officials of the Metro East suburb recommended filtering drinking water because of so-called forever chemicals, residents had numerous questions about costs and health concerns at the latest city council meeting Tuesday night.

Just five months after the city said the water was safe, the Metro East suburb is now recommending that residents filter city tap water because of elevated levels of "forever chemicals."

A recent study found that some beer produced in the U.S. — including in St. Louis County — contains PFAS. In total, RTI International tested 94 beers from 23 brands.

The compounds, called PFAS, are pervasive, but their impacts on human health and safety are still unclear.

Illinois finalized its PFAS limits in 2025, which is why some Metro East residents have been receiving letters from the Illinois EPA that PFAS have been detected above the limits.

The Maries County town has until 2029 to reduce levels of PFOS that were found in a sample of its drinking water.

The Living Lands and Waters' Mississippi River Institute floating classroom will be in the St. Louis region until the fall to educate young people and host meetings related to the river.

The new standards apply to approximately 220 chemical plants in the United States — including two in the Metro East.

Biosolids — a type of treated sewage byproduct from wastewater treatment plants — are used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer on farms across the Midwest. But a group of toxic “forever chemicals” are slipping through the cracks and could be inadvertently contaminating millions of acres of farmland.

As the EPA gets close to finalizing rules related to PFAS, some providers in Missouri could be forced to clean up their drinking water.