The man-made chemicals have been around for decades and are used in common products such as cosmetics, deodorant, electronics, water proofing, firefighting foam, fast food wrappers.
And now they’re getting into our drinking water in certain Michigan municipal systems. That includes Ann Arbor, Mount Clemens, New Baltimore and Ira Township.
The state sent notices to the Macomb County communities a week ago. See the notices below:
Letter From DEQ Johnson to Ira Township Hiltunen Dated 030218 616442 7 by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
Letter From DEQ Johnson to City of New Baltimore Hiltunen Dated 030218 616437 7 by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
Letter From DEQ to Mount Clemens Dated 030218 616443 7 by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
The problem in Ann Arbor was found four years ago. City officials in Mount Clemens and New Baltimore put out news releases today after this hit the news.
The chemicals are in two groups, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl or PFAS and PFCs. State officials are not hitting the panic button and also say people don’t need to go get a blood test.
See a map of the confirmed PFAS sites in Michigan below:
Deq Map ConfirmedPFASsites 611932 7 by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
But they are advising drinking less tap water and using an approved filter.
In Mount Clemens, the source of the contamination could be Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the Clinton River and Lake Saint Clair. The chemicals can be consumed by people and wildlife over several years.
The city of New Baltimore released the following statement regarding the new findings.
Water Press Release by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
