The Northeast-Midwest Institute hosted the second session of its Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program on Wednesday, May 28th. The briefing concerned PFAS, a “forever chemical” ubiquitous in everyday products that poses dangers to human health, especially in drinking water. The Primer program is made possible with the generous support of the Erb Family Foundation.
Marta Venier, from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, gave an overview of PFAS and their properties, uses, and impacts. Dr. Venier also discussed how PFAS exposure can happen, including in drinking water, food and food packaging, and dust inhalation. One worrying exposure pathway is through contaminated fish. PFAS bio-accumulate and bio-magnify in animals, meaning that concentrations are higher as an individual grows and higher toward the top of the food chain. An older fish will have a higher concentration of PFAS than a younger fish, and an apex predator will have a higher concentration of PFAS than a primary consumer. Studies have shown both bio-accumulation and bio-magnification in Great Lakes organisms, and have shown a higher level of PFAS than other “legacy” contaminants like PCBs or pesticides. Fortunately, however, PFAS levels are lower in the fillet than other parts of the fish. Still, there are places in the Great Lakes where consuming certain fish could increase an individual’s PFAS exposure. “PFAS are one of the top compounds driving fish consumption advisories… they represent now one of the major reasons for concern for these advisories,” Dr. Venier said.
Cathy Martin, Senior Coordinator of Drinking Water Policy at the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center, presented on PFAS in agriculture. Particularly, PFAS are present in bio-solids, a byproduct of wastewater treatment commonly used to fertilize farm fields. When these bio-solids are contaminated with PFAS, they can render farmland unusable. PFAS are also found in commercially-available fertilizer. Martin gave an example of what happened in Maine after the state tested farmland and found that 80 sites were impacted. “Some farms were able to alter what they produced or where they produced to continue production… others had to close permanently,” she said. Potential policy solutions could include relief funds for impacted farmers and providing funding and technical assistance for testing and remediation, as included in Susan Collins’ Relief for Farmers Hit With PFAS Act. Bio-solids testing a regulation may also be necessary. States across the country have funded testing and imposed limits for PFAS in bio-solids, and states also have required pretreatment of industrial discharges to limit the amount of PFAS entering sewers in the first place.
Erica Bloom from the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network addressed federal policy around PFAS and recent EPA actions. In 2024, the EPA announced the first-ever drinking water standards for PFAS, setting Maximum Contaminant Levels for PFOS, PFOA, HPFO-DA (Gen-X), PFNA, and PFHxS, as well as a Hazard Index that would regulate combinations of these PFAS even if none of them were over the threshold individually. Water treatment plants would be required to complete testing by 2027 and the standards would go into effect in 2029. The Trump EPA has kept the MCLs for PFOA and PFOS, the two largest PFAS, but delayed enforcement until 2031, and rolled back the other standards entirely. “The announcement ensures that Americans will be drinking PFAS for another decade,” Bloom said. “The PFAS contamination crisis is much more than just two PFAS chemicals – PFOS and PFOA,” she added. “The cost of PFAS pollution will fall on ordinary people, who will pay in the form of polluted water, and more sickness.”
Finally, Tony Spaniola, also of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, spoke on contaminated sites, especially military bases. Spaniola has long been involved in PFAS advocacy in his hometown of Oscoda, MI, which faces PFAS contamination from an Air Force base. “The Department of Defense is the largest PFAS polluter in the United States, with more than 700 contaminated military sites across the country,” Spaniola said. This is primarily because of the use of PFAS in firefighting foam. The Defense Department was slow to react and limit PFAS use and runoff. “As a result of the inaction, Oscoda is subject to five separate public health warnings due to the Air Force’s PFAS contamination,” he said. Residents cannot eat fish in the Au Sable River, drink water from many residential wells, or consume venison and other game. “These problems devastated our way of life, our health, and our economy, and have placed a tremendous financial burden on our local governments and our taxpayers,” Spaniola stated. Oscoda developed a roadmap to limit PFAS exposure and uplift community voices which developed into a Defense Department directive which aims to speed up cleanup in collaboration with experts on the ground. Spaniola also mentioned the PFAS Task Force, a bipartisan group of Congresspeople working toward solutions on PFAS. “I am proud that the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force was born out of advocacy in Oscoda… those Members have been key champions in this fight.” Spaniola said. “This is not a partisan issue; it is a public health emergency, and our response must be rooted in cooperation and urgency.”
If you missed the briefing, watch the recording here. View a collection of NEMWI’s recent briefings here.