COLLINSVILLE — Officials here say residents should filter their tap water before drinking or cooking with it because of an unexplained increase in levels of PFAS chemicals that are now too high for its water treatment plant to fully remove.

The city discovered the contamination in samples taken in May. New tests confirmed the problem in August. Officials told the city council this week.

The so-called “forever chemicals,” in high enough concentrations, are linked to various health conditions, including cancer.

The city doesn’t yet know where the contamination is coming from, and officials are recommending residents use charcoal filters, reverse osmosis, or anionic exchange point-of-use filters for tap water as “three options known to remove PFAS,” said Michael Crawford, the chief operato

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