Some Chicago-area residents will be able to test the water quality in their homes as part of a Northwestern study that will begin providing free test kits later this year. [Chicago Tribune]

Awarded a $3 million federal grant, researchers plan to phase in testing over several years in 350 households, where residents will be able to begin testing immediately for lead. In subsequent years, they will also be able to test for other contaminants such as PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

“The end goal is to empower people with knowledge: the knowledge of whether or not lead is in their water,” said Sara Young, who is leading the project with her husband, Julius Lucks, in a statement from Northwestern. “These tests do this by offering the same certainty and simplicity found in at-home COVID-19 and pregnancy tests.”

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