Toxic PFAS have likely contaminated roughly 57,412 locations across the U.S., according to a new study.

Those locations include certain industrial facilities, waste processing facilities and places where firefighting foam containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used, such as airports and military bases.

The study, published Oct. 14 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, found likely PFAS contamination sites in all 50 states. It is the first study to use existing scientific data on PFAS contamination to create a model that can predict locations where contamination is likely.

"PFAS contamination at these sites is not just possible, but probable," Alissa Cordner, senior author on the paper and co-director of the PFAS Project Lab, told EHN.