Forever Contaminants Such as PFAS
This report from Environmental Health News (EHN) is 3= years old. I would regard it as relatively accurate in 2025. In Livingston County Michigan, the lakes were polluted with types of PFAS and many of the fish caught in lakes such as Strawberry lake carried PFAS. Unknown to many, people were eating the fish. I can not tell you the impact on people because often times such an event may not happen for years.
The same holds true for Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune. The impact of drinking, showering, in polluted water or eating fish laced with chemicals may not show up till years later.
What are PFAS?
PFAS stands for “per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” They contain a strong carbon-fluorine bond that allows them to accumulate over time in the environment and in the bodies of animals and people. They also pose great health risks. PFAS chemicals might also be thought of as “everywhere chemicals,” since they’ve become so common in the products we use every day.
Where Does It Originate?
Manufacturing processes and waste storage and treatment sites release PFAS into the air, soil, and water. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has identified 41,828 industrial and municipal sites in the U.S. known or suspected of using PFAS. Among the industrial facilities the group pointed to are petroleum stations and terminals, chemical manufacturers, commercial printers, plastics and resin manufacturing sites, paint and coating manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, makers of metal products and electrical components, and electroplating and polishing.
EWG (Environmental Working Group) recently released another report based on EPA data. The report identified PFAS may be discharged by more than 1,500 U.S. textile mills. landfills and waste disposal facilities. Sewage and waste treatment plants are also common sources of contamination.
Additionally, military bases and airports are major contributors to PFAS contamination. Mostly the PFAS come from training and testing exercises using firefighting foam. EWG mapped 385 U.S. military installations with PFAS contamination and several hundred more suspected to be contaminated. Many nearby communities also suffer groundwater and drinking water contamination as a result of their proximity to these facilities.
There are estimated to be >9,000 PFAS chemicals. Some of the more common PFAS include Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), also known as C8. These chemicals were widely used in substances like fabric and leather coatings, household cleaning products, firefighting foams, and stain-resistant carpeting. Manufacturers in Canada and the U.S. have phased out their use over the past two decades. However, their presence can still be found in the environment and in our bodies due to exposure. Dupont developed GenX as a replacement for PFOA in 2009. Subsequent studies of GenX also are raising health concerns.
Teflon
One popular usage of PFAS (known as Polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]), was used to produce Teflon. As you already know, Teflon is the non-stick chemical coating manufactured for decades by Dupont. Dupont’s manufacture of Teflon was spun off to Chemours in 2015.
According to a lawsuit filed by the state of North Carolina, DuPont created a series of mergers, spinoffs and divestments to shield itself from claims accusing it of polluting the state with chemicals used to make Teflon. The spinoffs include a merger with Dow, which was not named in the suit. DuPont’s substitute, perfluoro-2-propoxypropanoic acid (GenX) did not do much better as it too contaminated the state.
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein applauded a North Carolina Business Court for a decision that will help the North Carolina Department of Justice in its ongoing fight to protect North Carolinians’ access to clean water. The ruling states that if the court finds “old” DuPont liable for PFAS contamination in North Carolina, then in addition to Chemours, its other new offshoot companies, New DuPont and Corteva, will also be on the hook for damages.
“Attorney General Josh Stein: “Companies cannot engage in corporate shell games to avoid liability for the messes they make. I’m pleased that this ruling provides that Chemours, DuPont, and its related companies cannot avoid responsibility by engaging in corporate restructuring schemes. Our fight for clean drinking water continues.”
Dangers of PFAS
PFAS are in the blood of nearly all Americans. Testing of umbilical cord blood and breast milk indicates there is exposure begins before birth. Some PFAS bioaccumulate (build up) which means even low exposures are cause for concern over time. Our bodies accumulate more and more of them. PFAS bioaccumulation also occurs in non-human organisms, including fish and other human food sources, which eventually end up in people. Protecting the environment from PFAS contamination, monitoring PFAS levels is important so as to establish dangerous levels in areas.
PFAS are endocrine disrupting chemicals. They interfere with our hormone systems. When an external chemical interferes with our hormone systems, it can lead to changes in our bodies and brains. Leading to be easily impacted by disease and, in some cases, even death.
Research links PFAS to health problems which includes kidney and testicular cancer, liver and thyroid problems, reproductive problems, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, low birthweight, and increased risk of birth defects, among others. PFAS has also been linked to changes in cholesterol levels and in the timing of puberty. Evidence of PFAS impacts on immune function is another growing concern. Studies have found some PFAS may lower vaccine effectiveness.
PFAS contamination also has an environmental justice dimension. Low-income communities and communities of color such as Flint Michigan are often more likely to be located near sites of PFAS contamination, increasing their health risks. Flint river more likely than not is contaminated with PFAS besides other contaminants. Yet, the state of Michigan took Flint off of Lake water and switch the city to the Flint River water.
There are many water issues in Michigan and this is just one of them.
PFAS Contamination, the New Flint at Military Bases and Again in Michigan, Angry Bear
Focus on Fracking, Angry Bear
Don’t Drink the Water – Mercury contamination, Angry Bear
Environment and the Policy Changes Impacting It, Mother Earth, and Us, Angry Bear
DuPont used Chemours, Dow merger to shield itself from PFAS claims – suit, ICIS