A Washington County family is accusing gas drillers of causing so-called “forever chemicals” to get into his drinking water.The chemicals, known as PFAS, have been used in clothing, carpet and food packaging.Bryan Latkanich agreed to allow gas drilling on his property a decade ago, and he received royalties. But shortly after the drilling got underway, he said he started having health problems.“I couldn’t sleep. I had intestinal problems. I was puking,” Latkanich said.He said he was alarmed to see what happened to his young son, Ryan, after taking a bath.“This kid's covered with blisters and sores, so I jumped in the tub and felt the water and it was probably the most slippery substance I've ever felt in my life, so I said well we've got a problem,” Latkanich said.Chevron, the drilling company, gave the Latkanich family water buffalos and did an investigation.The investigation found the groundwater "consistent with pre-existing conditions" and "not the result of oil and gas operations."But Latkanich said he and his son never had health problems before fracking started.“How does my son get burned from just water if there's no real problem?” he said.Latkanich started filling water jugs at a nearby spring for drinking and bathing.Earlier this year, a team from the University of Pittsburgh tested the water at the Latkanich house and found alarming results.According to a lawsuit filed by Latkanich, the water contained high amounts of PFAS chemicals that were 280 times the EPA standard for one form of the chemical called PFOA and 379 times the EPA standard for PFOS.The tests also found Ryan had high levels of other chemicals associated with fracking, including benzene and toluene.Pitt's lead researcher declined to do an interview because of the pending lawsuit.Action News Investigates spoke with Dr. Ned Ketyer, a pediatrician and state president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, a group that opposes fracking and seeks to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.“It doesn't take a lot of PFAS in your body to cause harm. And the harm that PFAS causes is pretty extensive. PFAS has been associated with cancers, testicular cancer and kidney cancer. It can cause liver damage and damage to other organs in the body as well,” Ketyer said.The group that sponsored the Latkanich study, Engineers Without Borders, said it could not determine the source of the PFAS chemicals.The lawsuit blames Chevron and unnamed PFAS suppliers. It says Chevron has used PFAS in 1,200 fracking operations around the country.Chevron spokesperson Deena McMullen would not say whether the company used PFAS at Latkanich's property."Protecting people, the environment, and the communities where we operate is a top priority for Chevron and we have taken Mr. Latkanich's concerns very seriously," McMullen said. She said Latkanich's "repeated accusations that Chevron contaminated his water have been disproved" and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has previously determined that Latkanich's water "was not affected by oil and gas activities."The lawsuit also names Pittsburgh-based EQT which bought the Latkanich wells and others from Chevron in 2020.In a statement, EQT pointed out the previous investigations by Chevron and the DEP.A statement from EQT stated, "Those issues were thoroughly investigated, and nothing was found. We are confident the same conclusion will be reached in this instance."A DEP spokesperson said they are again investigating Latkanich's water in the wake of the PFAS tests.DEP said it has so far identified eight fracking sites in Pennsylvania where PFAS-related chemicals were used. The Latkanich property is not one of them. Lisa Johnson, an attorney for Latkanich, said Pennsylvania law allows drillers to conceal the identity of many fracking chemicals as trade secrets.“When they push down those fluids into the groundwater, that's how your drinking water gets affected,” Johnson said.DEP said it is considering a requirement that drilling companies "specifically call out the use of PFAS additives during well completion."DEP does not currently require water authorities to test for PFAS but it is in the process of creating a standard. Experts said PFAS is far more likely to be found in well water than in municipal water.The lawsuit blames fracking for Bryan Latkanich's multiple health problems, including renal failure, spleen failure, gout and a heart condition.He said he regrets his decision to allow drilling on his property.“Now we have land we can't use, water we can't use and a house we can't live in along with health effects,” he said.