Last Monday, the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) declared that 300 locations in the state were contaminated by “forever chemicals,” including groundwater close to a former Wayne County Landfill, which was still contaminated by PFAS.
A family of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are resistant to heat and oil and are frequently found in items like food packaging, waterproof clothes, carpeting, and nonstick cookware.
Over time, the compounds can accumulate in both human and animal blood and organs due to their delayed breakdown. PFAS are present in food, drinking water, soil, and water at or close to waste sites, in addition to the goods and establishments that use the chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified PFAS as an emerging contaminant.
It has been associated with immune system damage, which lowers the body’s capacity to fight infections and lessens its response to vaccines, as well as decreased fertility, high blood pressure in pregnant women, developmental delays or effects on children, and an increased risk of certain cancers, such as prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
MPART found that Nankin Township Landfill, which operated from the 1940s until the early 1960s, received garbage from 3M and other industries as part of an ongoing study of landfills that previously handled industrial waste from PFAS manufacturers.
Because investigators feared PFAS were still present in the groundwater, MPART built monitoring wells in September 2024, even after the Environmental Protection Agency removed 5,000 cubic yards of industrial trash and 350 waste drums from the site between 1994 and 1995.
Both surface and groundwater around the former landfill contained the chemical, with the highest quantities found in the groundwater being 80 parts per trillion for PFOA, one type of PFAS, and 25 parts per trillion for PFOS, another type of PFAS.
Both actions go above and above the state’s cleanup requirements.
Later, it was discovered by MPART employees and local health authorities that there are no private wells close to the contaminated site, and the water used by the surrounding homes comes from municipal sources.
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“Given the fact that these persistent PFAS compounds have been manufactured for decades, it’s not surprising that MPART has found contamination in this closed landfill even though some clean-up was done decades ago,” MPART’s executive director Abigail Hendershott stated on Thursday. “This is why MPART is continuing to identify and hold accountable those responsible for this legacy contamination. Michigan continues to lead the nation in identifying PFAS contamination and protecting public health.”
While highlighting her dedication to holding polluters accountable, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel praised the response team’s efforts to locate PFAS contamination sites.
The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments in November 2024 in Nessel’s appeal of a state Court of Appeals ruling that struck down regulations implemented by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to restrict PFAS in drinking water after 3M challenged them.
The court has not yet made a decision.
