LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — PFAS are man-made chemicals found in many consumer products, including non-stick cookware and fire extinguisher foam.
The sites with the largest sources of PFAS contamination are usually military bases and manufacturing sites.
The problem with PFAS is that it’s a forever chemical, meaning that it doesn’t naturally break down.
“There are now various PFAS consumption advisory for fish caught in water bodies near our reservation and in our territory including blue gill sunfish, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass caught in the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay Areas,” said Breanna Knudsen, the environmental response specialist for Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.
To make matters worse, the chemical is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, meaning that although its known to be harmful companies and governments can still use it.
Another topic of concern for lawmakers on Monday was a lack of cooperation from the Air Force with lawmakers and the community.
As the air force stated it could take up to five years to start a full-scale clean-up.
For Senator Gary Peters the only way to stop PFAS is by holding people accountable and classifying the chemical as hazardous.
“But we have to have the federal government step up much more than they have in the past we got to move towards a standard and get the EPA to move forward,” said Peters.
