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 […]
Full article: ‘Astronomical’ PFAS level sets new Michigan contamination milestone
More about PFAS and perfluorinated chemicals:
Well water users warned, Air Force Academy finds toxic level of firefighting chemical
Firefighting foam linked to water contamination across Massachusetts
EPA’s chemical decision worries Republicans
Businesses discharging PFAS into Michigan’s waterways
PFAS1 found in drinking water wells in unexpected places
What we know about PFAS contamination in Parchment drinking water
Federal Report: PFCs More Dangerous Than Previously Believed
DoD admits water at U.S. military bases contains cancer-causing chemicals
