“Hold my beer!” has become a popular comeback to try to “out do” another person’s story. But in the audio clip above, researcher Jennifer Hoponick Redmon at RTI International tells WGN’s Steve Alexander that PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals” because they last forever and are nearly everywhere, including our blood.

PFAS are human-made chemicals discovered nearly 100 years ago by accident. They became widely used because of their water-, oil- and stain-repellent properties. Over the decades, they have have been found in surface water, groundwater and municipal water supplies across the U.S. and the world. Hoponick Redmon and her team wondered if there are PFAS in our beer, too. Yes, they are.

Hoponick Redmon and her colleagues tested 23 beers. The test subjects were produced by U.S. brewers in areas with documented water system contamination, plus popular domestic and international beers from larger companies with unknown water sources. They found PFAS in 95% of the beers they tested.

Although breweries typically have water filtration and treatment systems, they are not designed to remove PFAS. It is possible to filter out the bad stuff through techniques such as reverse osmosis and activated carbon, but she says that is expensive and there’s debate about who would bear the brunt of those costs.

There’s a health cost. Recent studies show that PFAS exposure can lead to adverse reproductive, developmental, cardiovascular, liver, kidney, immunological, and carcinogenic health effects. And, the PFAS can remain in the body for years. Ironically, beer has been a staple beverage since premodern times, when it was actually considered safer than water given the destruction of waterborne pathogens during brewing. Today, beer is the third most popular beverage around the world, behind only water and tea.

If you’re a brewer–and it doesn’t matter how big or small you are, PFAS are a problem for all–RTI International is offering help on its website. If you’re wondering about your tap water, you can contact your state’s Department of Public Health.