Forever chemicals have become “ubiquitous” across the Great Lakes water basin, which accounts for 95 percent of the United States’ freshwater supply, according to a new report. PFAS or man-made forever chemicals are used to make products resistant to water, oil, fire, including nonstick skillets, water-repellent clothing, and have been linked to a range of serious diseases. According to The Guardian, the study found that a large portion of the chemicals arrived in the basin from precipitation, which was not previously considered a large source of PFAS in the basin. Water and air contamination were the highest on Lake Ontario, which is surrounded by the most urban centers. Lake Superior had the lowest levels of contamination, but it is also the largest of the lakes. Fish consumption advisories have been issued across the region, and in Michigan there are thousands of sites where the drinking water has been contaminated. “We need to take a broad approach to control sources that release PFAS into the atmosphere and into bodies of water… since they eventually all end up in the lakes,” said Marta Venier, one of the study’s co-authors.