Michigan PFAS chemical threats

The new standards, which could take effect this year, would be stricter than Michigan’s existing standards. EPA officials acknowledged it’s unsafe to drink virtually any of two PFAS compounds, but set proposed limits at the lowest amount technology can detect.

The legal settlement with Asahi Kasei Plastics North America over PFAS at its Brighton plant comes as Attorney General Dana Nessel pursues lawsuits against a host of companies tied to Michigan’s PFAS crisis.

One of the first bills introduced by the Democratic majority would undo a Snyder-era law that prevents Michigan from adopting stronger pollution regulations than Washington. Dems also aim to lessen industry influence on regulatory decisions.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer must lay out a bold vision to protect our waters, clean up toxic groundwater, keep water services from being privatized and put the onus on chemical companies to show they can operate safely.

State regulators this week warned anglers to limit their meals of rainbow smelt taken from the two lakes, along with three inland lakes. High PFAS levels had already prompted a smelt consumption advisory in Lake Superior.

In a harshly-worded letter, a supervisor in the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy wrote that DNR should reject the Camp Grayling expansion unless the National Guard gets serious about cleaning up PFAS at the base.

From polluter pay laws to plastic bag bans, Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates hope to reverse Republican-passed laws and revisit Democratic issues that faltered in the Republican-led Legislature.

The chemicals have been used in hundreds of household products for decades, even as more studies became public showing their danger to human health and ubiquitous presence in water. Michigan has hundreds of identified sites of PFAS contamination.

The suit blames FKI Hardware Inc. for contaminating nine west Michigan properties with PFAS, volatile organic compounds and metals before exiting Michigan in 2016. It’s the latest in a slew of actions by Nessel’s office against alleged groundwater polluters.

No-contact order lifted after investigators conclude that most of the chromium released from a tank at Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom never made it into the Huron River.

A series of violation notices raise new questions about the events at the plant. State regulators indicate that on-site alarms at the company were overridden hundreds of times during a weekend evening when “no one should be at the facility.”

After a Wixom chrome plater released hexavalent chromium into sewers that lead to the Huron River, locals and activists are calling for tighter regulation to prevent future spills, if not an outright ban on nonessential uses of the toxic metal.

A don’t touch advisory remains in effect for the section of the river in Oakland and Livingston counties, after a Wixom automotive supplier released thousands of gallons of liquid containing the toxic metal.

State regulators say testing is ongoing and caution residents to still avoid stretches of the upper river. One official calls tests so far ‘encouraging.’

While state regulators await test results to determine how far the hexavalent chromium-tainted water has spread, Huron River advocates are calling for stiff penalties against a company with a history of polluting the river.

Residents in parts of two Michigan counties are told to avoid “all contact” with Huron River water due to “several thousand gallons” of liquid containing a carcinogen from Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom, the plant behind a previous spill involving PFAS.

At the first public meeting on a proposal to dramatically expand the training facility’s footprint on public land, military officials and state land managers sought to allay the concerns of area residents and outdoors groups.

The Guard, seeking more space for cyber training and other modern military needs, would expand Camp Grayling’s footprint by accessing vast swaths of state land. It may face pushback from landowners and outdoor groups.

Michigan is poised to spend nearly $3 billion to upgrade or expand aging water, road and broadband infrastructure. It’s a big deal, but experts contend the state should be spending even more than that every year.

Samples taken from the big lake revealed widespread PFAS contamination of rainbow smelt, a popular sport fish. State officials advise consuming no more than a few smelt a month for safety reasons.