The Environmental Protection Agency says it will fund new research focused on how PFAS, a group of thousands of man-made chemicals that don't break down naturally, affect animals and plants in agricultural areas.

PFAS are used in everything from consumer products like nonstick pans, to industrial ones, like some fertilizers. 

But the chemicals have seeped into air, soil and water in parts of Tucson, and around the U.S. and world. Exposure has been linked to health issues like cancer.

The EPA is earmarking $8 million to fund research projects that look into PFAS in rural, agricultural and tribal communities.

Earlier this year, the EPA announced plans to formally limit PFAS in drinking water. As first reported by Inside Climate News, the agency says this latest call for research projects is part of a larger effort to understand the pathways the chemicals use to reach humans and animals.

The EPA opened its call for proposals this month and will keep accepting applications until early December.