Study to examine long-term health impacts of PFAS in West Michigan

By Sarah Cwiek, Michigan Radio

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work HERE.

Michigan health officials plan to study the potential long-term health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure on people in four West Michigan communities.

PFAS are a class of industrial chemicals linked to health problems like cancer, and thyroid disease. Known as “forever chemicals” that remain intact in the environment and human bodies for a long time, PFAS are present in substances ranging from firefighting foam to food packaging.

But the science of PFAS and health is still emerging. That’s why the PFAS Exposure and Health Study is launching a five-year effort to examine potential health impacts more closely.

The study, led by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is recruiting participants from four communities in West Michigan: Parchment and Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County, and Belmont and Rockford in Kent County. Those are areas where historic PFAS contamination is known to have tainted drinking water.

MDHHS says participants will fill out a comprehensive survey, and give blood samples three times over the course of the study. Researchers will examine the samples for PFAS levels, and health markers such as thyroid hormones and cholesterol levels. MDHHS will also test some participants’ drinking water for PFAS.

“Michigan continues to be a leader in PFAS research,” Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said in a statement. “The MiPEHS will provide residents of these communities the opportunity to learn more about PFAS and their levels of exposure and potential health impacts.”

Eligible participants should receive enrollment information by mail later this month. The study runs from 2020-2026, and hopes to recruit as many participants as possible.

MDHHS said it’s also planning another PFAS study in the same communities, in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Its goal is “understanding the relationship between PFAS exposure and health outcomes among differing populations across the United States,” with data coming from Michigan and six other sites around the country. That study will start enrolling participants in 2021.

Catch up with PFAS news on Great Lakes Now:

Wisconsin releases action plan to reduce PFAS chemical use

PFAS chemicals are ubiquitous. A Pitt scientist is working to protect you from thousands of types at once.

Indiana universities receive grants to study PFAS impact on water quality

PFAS News Roundup: PFAS exposure may affect COVID vaccine, NY bans PFAS in food packaging

PFAS News Roundup: Michigan health study, Wisconsin deer and fish, possible impact on COVID-19 vaccine

PFAS Progress: Michigan continues legislative push for more action against PFAS

PFAS Around the Great Lakes Region: Actions taken in each state or province and standards set, if any

Featured image: In this June 6, 2018, file photo, PFAS foam washes up on the shoreline of Van Etten Lake in Oscoda Township, Mich., near Wurtsmith Air Force Base. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)