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News
By Vicki Browne
Iron County Lakes & Streams Partnership
Sometimes a good thing — like stain-resistant carpeting, waterproof boots or firefighting foam — causes unforeseen, harmful consequences. This is the story of PFAS, manmade ‘forever chemicals’ that have the ability to make cookware non-stick and burger wrappers non-greasy.
PFAS stands for per - and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Once hailed as an incredible and versatile breakthrough, they are now a threat to our water supplies and our health.
“There is no universally accepted definition of PFAS,” according to an article by the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council. “However, in general, PFAS are characterized as having carbon atoms linked to each other and bonded to fluorine atoms.”
These molecules can contain short or long chains of carbon atoms. The unique property they share is that one end of the chain attaches to water (hydrophilic) and the other end repels water (hydrophobic).
Both Dupont and 3M invented processes that use PFAS. Dupont created Teflon, the nonstick coating for cookware in 1946. The Naval Research Laboratory, in conjunction with 3M, created firefighting foams for Class B (grease, oil, petroleum) fires in the 1960’s.
Over time, thousands of PFAS chemicals were created and myriad uses for them were found. PFAS have been used in cookware, carpets, packaging, clothing, dental floss, disposable diapers, cosmetics and cellphones, to name just a few.
“By the 1960s, animal studies conducted by 3M and DuPont revealed that PFAS chemicals posed health risks,” according to an article by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that advocates for informed decision-making about public health issues. “By the mid-1970s, 3M knew that PFAS was building up in Americans’ blood. In the 1980s, both 3M and DuPont linked PFAS to cancer and found elevated cancer rates among their own workers.”
Some of the problems with PFAS arise because these chemicals do not break down. In fact, they bioaccumulate and are toxic.
Beginning in the 2000s, substitutes for recognized, harmful PFAS have been in use in the U.S. However, other manufacturing countries continue to use these chemicals, and it is unclear whether the substitutes are completely safe.
The American Chemical Council, which advocates for chemical companies like Dupont and 3M states, “The manufacturers of PFAS chemistries are employing practices and technologies to minimize environmental emissions every day.”
Ongoing studies beginning in 1999 by the Centers for Disease Control note that four long-chain PFAS have been measured in the blood serum of almost all residents of the U.S. These PFAS are present whether or not people were exposed in the workplace, likely due to the widespread use of PFAS in consumer products and industries.
The two big areas of concern are drinking water and associated health risks. PFAS get into groundwater and drinking water from a variety of sources: nearby industries that use PFAS in their manufacturing processes, airports, landfills, military bases and paper mills.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy lists no PFAS sites in Iron County but has identified four sites nearby: Central Landfill Authority in Iron Mountain, Ford Airport and Grede Landfill in Kingsford, and the Gogebic-Iron County Airport in Ironwood.
EGLE defines a PFAS site as any property which meets both of the following criteria: First, the agency has a groundwater sample that “exceeds one or more of Michigan’s seven PFAS groundwater cleanup criteria.” Second, based on data from the site where the sample was taken, “EGLE has determined the property is the location of the source of PFAS contamination.” An example might be a fire training area where PFAS-containing foam was used.
The health risks correlated with PFAS are still being studied. According to the CDC, there are potential connections to increased cholesterol levels, decreased vaccine-response in children, changes in liver enzymes, increased risks for pregnant women, and increased risks of certain types of cancers.
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team is on the leading edge of PFAS research and detection. From Oct. 22–24 in East Lansing, PFAS researchers will gather for the second annual symposium, where the main topic will be PFAS bioaccumulation in crops and livestock.
The PFAS Action Act of 2021 (H.R. 2467) act was initiated by Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan’s District 6 (formerly District 12) and has passed the House. The bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency to designate certain PFAS as hazardous substances, establish standards for water quality criteria as it relates to PFAS, and to provide grants and other financial incentives to help communities clean their water systems.
As the bill makes its way through Congress, here are some things you can do at home:
• If you have municipal water, look at water testing results. PFAS amounts are part of annual testing.
• If you have a private well, consider having the water tested.
• Use cookware that does not contain PFAS: cast iron, stainless steel, or ceramic
• Avoid fast food packaging and microwave popcorn packaging.
• Ask questions when something claims to be ‘non-stick’, ‘waterproof’ or ‘stain resistant’.
More information is available at michigan.gov/pfasresponse and at canr.msu.edu/pfas/.