The chemical which has triggered a state of emergency in Kalamazoo County may be found in more than 11-thousand sites across the state.
A family of chemicals known as PFAS was found in the city drinking water in the town of Parchment, near Kalamazoo. Parchment and nearby Cooper Twp. are under the emergency declaration.
But the state Department of Environmental Quality said many facilities in Michigan could have the chemicals in the environment: including more than 14-hundred fire stations, 27 airports, 519 waste-water plants.
PFAS, once commonly used in fire-fighting foam, nonstick surfaces, stain guards and other industrial applications persists for long periods in the environment and can be harmful to human health.
Gov. Snyder has asked state Attorney General Bill Schuette to begin legal proceedings against 3M, the Minnesota manufacturer of products such as Scotchgard and fire-fighting foam that contained PFAS compounds. The DEQ in March announced it would inspect 1,300 municipal water systems statewide for the contaminants.
The Free Press reports that public records show top DEQ officials were alerted to the potential widespread PFAS problem in Michigan by a staff member’s report in August 2012.
