Public health

‘Astronomical’ PFAS level sets new Michigan contamination milestone

Photo: PFAS foam accumulates downstream from the Geddes Dam in Ann Arbor Township on Sept. 20, 2018. PFAS foam has been found downstream from four Washtenaw County dams and elsewhere on the Huron River. (Jacob Hamilton)

Contamination in an Oakland County creek that feeds into the Huron River and its chain of lakes is setting a new state record for PFAS present today in Michigan surface water.

Now the source of the pollution is under orders to outline steps it will take to reduce how much of the chemical it’s sending into the waterway by October 19.

Testing at Norton Creek by the state on July 24 showed a reading of 5,500 parts per trillion (ppt) of PFOS, an individual compound in the PFAS family of poly- and per-fluorinated “forever chemicals” linked to cancer and other health conditions, according to state environmental officials.

That level is more than 450 times what the state allows in surface waters and 78 times the lifetime health advisory for human consumption.

The PFOS concentration also exceeds most reported readings at Clark’s Marsh near the closed Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. Testing for PFAS chemicals since 2011 placed that location at the top of the state’s […]

More about: forever chemicals (PFAS, etc.), pollution, and public health

Summary
Article Name
'Astronomical' PFAS level sets new Michigan contamination milestone
Description
PFAS levels more than 450 times what Michigan allows in surface waters and 78 times the lifetime health advisory for human consumption.
Author
Publisher Name
M Live
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

Saltwater intrusion will taint 77% of coastal aquifers by century’s end, modeling study finds

Watersheds on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard will be among the areas most affected by underground…

4 days ago

A ‘Devil’ Seaweed Is Spreading Inside Hawaiʻi’s Most Protected Place

An invasive algae has wrecked huge sections of reef in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Scientists…

6 days ago

A meadow in the Tahoe National Forest was drying up with sagebrush. Now it’s a lush wetland.

Sardine Meadow is a key link in conservation efforts for the Sierra Nevada, north of…

1 week ago

Conservation & Sustainability: fertilizer nitrates

UC Davis researchers insert a device that continuously collects water samples underground, providing real-time data…

3 weeks ago

Drought Mitigation: Should We Be Farming in the Desert?

Irrigated farmland in the desert of the Imperial Valley. (Photo credit: Steve Proehl, Getty Images)…

3 weeks ago

Scathing report released detailing Navy’s handling of Red Hill fuel spill

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released some scathing reports Thursday over the…

1 month ago