PFAS: What’s Next

We knew from Day One that PFAS were going to be a big problem in Michigan. As early as 2012, authorities admitted that PFAS weren’t just dangerous; they were everywhere. It took a full six years for anything to happen, and by then, tens of thousands of more families were exposed.

Every day, we see more and more evidence that the 11,000 potential contamination sites are like icebergs; on the surface we see the threat, but below the waterline, each site could billow into untold water supplies and water tables. With the sheer size of the problem, and with urban centers like Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Marquette, and more already home to contamination, legislators have only now moved to take action.

We can’t wait for protections to be handed down. So what can you do to protect yourself and your family? Experts urge anyone near a confirmed or potential contamination site to buy and install a PFAS tap water filter. You can also install a reverse-osmosis carbon filtration system. But first, demand action. If you are near a contamination site, request that your water be tested and share the results of that test with your community. Clean or contaminated, take action to inform neighbors and representatives of the findings and encouraging others to test, too.

This matters; experts are unequivocal about how harmful PFAS are to the human body. They’ve been proven to cause autoimmune disease, thyroid issues, decreased fertility, testicular and kidney cancers. These chemicals are especially harmful to women and children, wreaking havoc on hormones and even delaying the onset of puberty. The scariest part? PFAS build up in your body, and it can take decades to get them out of your system, if you ever are rid of them in your lifetime.

We know what we need to do. Take action in your home, and support organizations that are advocating for the urgent, sweeping action needed to bring about clean-ups, support programs to provide safe water to affected communities and to enact legislation to get tough of polluters. In Michigan, organizations like the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and LessCancer.org are great resources to learn more and do more.