But the Facebook message made no mention of the run-of-the-mill breaks or chloroform warnings; rather, the city’s July 26 post said, "We have just been informed this afternoon by the [Michigan Department of Environmental Quality] that the PFAS level in a City well is 1400 ppt.
Now, all Cooper could see were toxins all over her house, poisoning her nearly 3-year-old daughter, Jillian, who has lived in Parchment most of her life.
She can’t help but wonder whether the more than two years her family has lived in Parchment have been the root of their health issues.
"Is it the water?"
Cooper reached out to Jillian’s pediatrician immediately after she read the Facebook announcement.
Although a specific source of the PFAS contamination has not been identified, the state Department of Environmental Quality has tested an area where PFAS might have been used.
At the event this week in Fayetteville, the agency addressed residents who have found elevated levels of the chemical GenX, a second-generation PFAS, in private drinking water wells.
Aside from contaminated drinking water, PFAS can be found around the house, Bruton said.
Dean and her husband have also installed a reverse-osmosis water filter in their home.
But there is no question in Rome’s mind that the water has impacted all parts of the city.