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It’s a curious acronym — PFAS — and it stands for a family of chemicals that’s in most homes and being detected in an increasing number of people’s water systems in Michigan and other states and provinces.
Research is only beginning to determine the health effects and what, if any, treatment there might be. What can people do to protect themselves and their families? And at what cost?
Explore Great Lakes Now’s coverage of the crisis and learn about what you can do to address this issue.
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Michigan townships, Wolverine World Wide reach deal over PFAS contamination
Michigan’s Plainfield and Algoma townships reached a tentative settlement with footwear company Wolverine World Wide in a federal lawsuit over contaminated water, officials announced Tuesday.
PFAS water contamination not widespread, Pennsylvania says
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Thursday that a first round of testing drinking water samples in Pennsylvania for the toxic chemicals known as PFAS does not indicate widespread contamination.
PFAS at Niagara Falls airbase
The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station ranks seventh on a list of the 100 U.S. military sites most contaminated with PFAS, according to a report issued by the Environmental Working Group.
Upside-Down Eagle: Bald eagles have faced a number of pollutants but are now a Great Lakes success story
While bald eagles in the Great Lakes region have grappled with DDT, PCBs and lead, the population has made a major comeback since the 1970s.
Muddied Waters: Bureaucratic process leaves well water at risk and farmers feeling targeted
The Wisconsin DNR is slowly looking at addressing the issue of manure spills and their impact, but local farmers are feeling targeted by the potential new regulations.
Groundwater: Is it a 6th Great Lake?
Great Lakes Now spoke with Ohio State University Assistant Professor Audrey Sawyer about what aquifers are and why they are more connected to the Great Lakes than you might think.
Grassroots Power: Leading Canadian water activist says community action needed to protect water rights
Great Lakes Now spoke to Canadian water activist Maude Barlow about her new book, grassroots activism and water privatization.
Concerns grow over PFAS-tainted sewage sludge spread on croplands
For decades, sewage sludge from thousands of wastewater treatment plants has been used nationwide as cropland fertilizer. But while the sludge offers farmers a cheap source of fertilizer, there long have been concerns about contaminants in the material — and attention of late has turned to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
Protestors rally for clean water outside a Wurtsmith Air Force Base Restoration Advisory Board meeting on June 6, 2018 in Oscoda. Members of the NOW (Need Our Water) group, and other local residents, want the Air Force to take responsibility for high levels of PFAS contamination leaching from the base. (Jake May | MLive.com)
PARTNER CONTENT
The following reporting is provided by MLive Media Group, our partner on The Forever Chemicals series.
The Forever Chemicals: MLive Reporters and Great Lakes Now engage Sustainable Brands 2019 audience
After a documentary screening at the Sustainable Brands 2019 conference in Detroit, Great Lakes Now hosted an audience discussion with the MLive Media Group reporters who have been leading the coverage of the PFAS issue in Michigan.
PFAS pollution already costing Michigan communities millions
Michigan residents may be in line to pay for the fixes to PFAS contamination for years to come.
Ann Arbor spends $1 million to deal with PFAS contamination
The city started to ask in 2017: “What can we do about it?”
Digital Credits
“The Forever Chemicals” initiative was produced by Rob Green and Sandra Svoboda.
Digital Designer: Shelby Jouppi
Digital Video: Angela Brayman, Marie Gould, Rob Green, Zosette Guir, Matt Ilas, William Kubota, Sandra Svoboda, Jordan Wingrove, Ernie Zinger
With additional production support and partnership from MLive Media Group