How well has the State of Michigan responded to the problem of PFAS contamination of our groundwater?
That was the focus of a Grand Rapids hearing Tuesday convened by U.S.
PFAS, or “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” are a group of highly-resistant industrial chemicals that have been used in the production of firefighting foam, waterproof shoes, non-stick pots and pans, and other materials since the 1950s.
They discovered that the soil was “highly contaminated.” “We started taking duplicate samples of everything the Air Force did, and as we proceeded, we found PFOS, PFOA, and a bunch of other chemicals all over the base, all through the surface water, and in all the fish,” Delaney said.
PFAS chemicals are nearly impossible to break down.
He recommended checking state blood and food supplies for contamination as preliminary measures to address the PFAS problem.
But aside forming a small PFAS task group at the agency and adding the chemicals to yearly sampling for fish and water, Delaney didn’t see much movement on the issue.
Snyder’s recent action on PFAS, years after the circulation of his report, Delaney said that “nothing is perfect.” “Governor Snyder came in with a mandate to fix the economy," he said.
He said that the Snyder administration has taken a more aggressive and informed approach to environmental quality issues since the fallout from the Flint water crisis.
"Michigan is by far not the only state with PFAS problems, we’re just the ones that are — us and a few other states — are really shining a light on ‘Hey, this is in your water.