Health officials say they are studying a possible cancer cluster.
She lives on the same street where Wolverine once dumped sludge that included Scotchgard, the waterproofing chemical used in Hush Puppies shoes that contained PFAS.
Though PFAS, once common in household products, have been linked to serious health problems such as decreased fertility and increased cancer risk, the science about those risks is still developing and regulations are limited.
At least three states, including Michigan, have issued warnings about eating fish with high levels of PFAS.
Wolverine officials said they were helping investigate those sites, but said many were not theirs.
“We’ve asked the company — they apparently don’t have too much, either, in way of historical files,” Ms. Shirey said.
The officials emphasized that the health risks of PFAS were not known at the time of the dumping, and that the extent of those hazards remains unknown.
“It’s the same way with Flint,” said Sandy Wynn-Stelt, whose water in Plainfield Township tested well above the advised levels of PFAS.
“Certainly this has caused some anxiety, and we’re working to alleviate that anxiety.” Some residents gave passing grades to the efforts to respond to the tainted water, but others criticized Wolverine and the environmental quality department for not taking action years ago, especially in 2000 when the maker of Scotchgard announced plans to reformulate the product and PFAS were increasingly recognized as a risk to health.
But the family’s whole-house water filter was installed a few days ago, and the girl, now 6, celebrated with a bath.