CHARLOTTE, N.C.– There’s a new group of potentially toxic forever chemicals that could be contaminating our drinking water. That’s according to a new study published Monday in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” Researchers have traced the toxins to prescribed drugs that they say wastewater treatment plants have failed to remove. They looked at water samples flowing through several large publicly-owned wastewater plants that serve 70 percent of the US population. The study concludes even with advanced treatment technologies, the forever chemicals were being sent into waterways where they can reenter the drinking water supply. The study authors say about 23 million Americans could be exposed to the forever chemicals. Forever chemicals get their name because of how long they can stay in the environment and in people’s bodies without breaking down. So far, experts have identified nearly 15 thousand of them.