The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has designated two new sites as “areas of interest” for potential PFAS contamination.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they take so long to break down in the environment. They’re linked to a number of health issues, including hormone disruptions and certain cancers.
Michigan divides sites with signs of those chemicals into two categories. One is PFAS sites, where there’s evidence of groundwater contamination and a known source. The other is areas of interest, where there’s possible contamination warranting further investigation.
The state added two more places to the hundreds of such sites this month.
One new area of interest is the Kalamazoo Regional Fire Training Center. Firefighting foam is one of the biggest known sources of PFAS contamination.
The other is near U.S. 131 in Wexford County, near Cadillac. Two businesses there have shown elevated levels of PFAS in their drinking water, but the source of potential contamination is currently unknown, according to EGLE.
EGLE plans to sample nearby residential wells for PFAS at both sites in 2025.
