PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
In this edition: Ohio begins statewide testing, DuPont owes money in PFAS cancer cases but might dodge other liabilities by divesting PFAS companies, PFAS is preventing farmers from selling their milk, ski community to stop using PFAS-laced wax and Minnesota PFAS cleanup could exceed 3M settlement money.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Ohio EPA to begin testing for ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water – Dayton Daily News
As part of the testing, the Ohio EPA will collect samples from the state’s 1,500 drinking water systems to determine if PFAS is present. About 250 daycare facilities and schools that have their own public water systems are being tested first.
DuPont Owes $50 Million in PFAS Cancer Cases, Jury Finds – Bloomberg Environment
The plaintiffs claimed they drank water tainted with DuPont’s fluorinated chemical known as C-8, or PFOA. The jury awarded cancer survivor Travis Abbott $40 million in compensatory damages and his wife $10 million in “loss of consortium” damages.
How DuPont may avoid paying to clean up a toxic ‘forever chemical’ – NBC News
Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club: “They are setting up other companies to take the fall on liabilities that won’t have enough money, so even if people win lawsuits, they will get nothing or very little.”
John Dillard: Forever Chemicals Could Affect Your Farm – AgWeb
In 2016, a dairy farm in southeastern Maine was required to close down when it could not sell its milk due to high levels of PFAS. A large dairy in New Mexico has not been able to sell milk since October 2018 after discovering high levels of PFAS.
Palo, Michigan, PFAS study finding ‘good news’ – The Daily News
Ionia County city told to “keep calm and carry on,” according to DHHS Toxicologist Gary Klase, who was among the representatives updating residents on the PFAS study.
Air Force puts $13.5M toward PFAS effort at Wurtsmith base – MLive
The money will be used to investigate and clean up PFAS at Wurtsmith and the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base near Marquette this year. Both bases are contaminated from the military’s use of a chemical-based firefighting foam called AFFF.
Ski racing community starts to back away from toxic wax – KSL
The International Ski Federation, the governing body for international skiing, announced plans to ban the use of fluorinated waxes in all disciplines next season.
Cleanup of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ could cost up to $1.2 billion, exceed 3M settlement – Star Tribune
The $700 million available in Minnesota to spend on cleaning drinking water and restoring damaged natural resources does not go far given the price tags for water treatment plants and home filtering systems. The scenarios show a range in cost from $250 million to $1.2 billion.
After PFAS discovery, Pellston students take their work further – Petoskey News-Review
For more than a year, National Honor Society students had been learning about PFAS and how to prepare test kits for distribution. At least one of their tests came back positive.
It was the first confirmed case of elevated PFAS in Emmet County, launching an extensive investigation at the start of this month by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
Featured Image: Dairy cows stand in the milking chamber at Stoneridge Farm in Arundel, Maine. The farm has been forced to shut down after sludge spread on the land was linked to high levels of PFAS in the milk. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
