WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday approved a bill setting deadlines for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement drinking water regulations for socalled forever chemicals.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called PFAS, are widely used, human-made compounds that are found in manufacturing and consumer products like Scotchguard, flame-resistant materials, nonstick cooking surfaces and firefighting foam used on military bases since the 1940s. They have been found in water wells throughout California and thousands of water sources across the country.

The bill approved Wednesday by a vote of 241-182 orders the EPA to designate two PFAS compounds as hazardous air and water pollutants, and set drinking water regulations for their use within two years of the bill becoming law. For years the agency has only established a non-enforceable health advisory level on the compounds in drinking water.

It also gives the EPA four years to set regulations for the discharge of the chemicals in industrial runoff and wastewater, and gives the agency five years to set standards for the use of the thousands of other PFAS compounds.

The bill requires cleanup of PFAS-contaminated sites and reimburses local water agencies for their efforts to reduce the amount of PFAS in drinking water.

The compounds don’t break down in nature and build up the human body. A number of studies and investigations have tied the two compounds that would be designated as hazardous pollutants to cancer and other serious illnesses in recent years.