Even though there were many warning signs that the drinking water in Illinois is tainted with “forever chemicals” that can stay in a person’s body for years and cause cancer and other diseases, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency didn’t begin testing the state’s water utilities for the chemicals until August 2020.

This is according to a new investigation by the Chicago Tribune, which reported that even after finding out the results, state and local officials downplayed them, “burying notices filled with technical jargon on government websites.”

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — known as PFAS — are long lasting chemicals found in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products that break down very slowly over time.