Starting in the 1970s, the textile mills of northwest Georgia relied on chemicals known as PFAS to add stain resistance to the carpets they manufactured. Some of the chemicals that didn’t stick were flushed with the multibillion-dollar industry’s wastewater into local sewer pipes and, eventually, the region’s rivers. Decades later, the odorless, colorless chemicals are now found everywhere in the area, including in the blood of some people. Scientists have warned of health risks to humans and wildlife. While the federal government doesn't yet have enforceable limits on PFAS, states have the authority to protect public health and the environment. Instead, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division did little to confront the problem despite knowing about it for years, an investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press and FRONTLINE (PBS) has found. Here are key takeaways from this ongoing investigation into the toxic legacy of the South’s carpet empire.…