The agency is looking to protect the country’s drinking water from harmful chemicals.

PFAS chemicals, also known colloquially as “forever chemicals,” are a particular subset of chemical agents that, according to studies, can remain in both natural sources and in the human body for years at a time, causing damage the longer they remain. Concerns about the presence of these chemicals in drinking water have been looming for years, but this week, the Environmental Protection Agency has begun to take a more active stand against them.

The EPA has proposed a new set of standards that would impose stricter monitoring requirements on six specific PFAS chemicals and their presence in potable water sources. Waterworks would need to keep an active eye on the levels of these chemicals, provide regular publicly-available reports, and should the levels exceed specifications, work immediately to clean them out.

“I am thrilled to announce that EPA is taking yet another bold step to protect public health,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said at a news conference. “Folks, this is a tremendous step forward in the right direction. We anticipate that when fully implemented, this rule will prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS related illnesses.”

Regan stressed that PFAS contamination is “one of the most pressing environmental and public health concerns in the modern world,” and that these new standards will go a long way toward ensuring the health and longevity of the American people.