Protecting Communities from PFAS Pollution

PFAS contamination is one of the most pressing environmental health issues we face. These chemicals impact the lives and health of millions of Americans. 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of more than 12,000  different chemicals with established links to adverse health impacts. There are more than 285 sites in Michigan that have been identified as PFAS contaminated, and in the United States that number is over 6,000.

'PFAS' is a clunky acronym for a slick set of chemicals.

     -- Gillian Zaharias Miller, Senior Staff Scientist at the Ecology Center

Unfortunately, PFAS are all around us. Everything from household products like nonstick cookware and waterproof jackets, to industrial uses like aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, and military.  The Ecology Center works to address the PFAS crisis using a variety of tactics and campaigns: 

• Through city, state, and federal policy change, we advocate to “turn off the tap” and prevent PFAS pollution. 
• We support community members directly exposed to PFAS contamination in their environment and drinking water through facilitating the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network.  
• We test for PFAS in consumer goods and the environment and use the data to help drive national market-based campaigns.

PFAS Policy in City, State, and Federal Governments PFAS Policy

The Ecology Center advocates for public policies to set health-protective standards, clean up existing PFAS contamination, and prevent future PFAS pollution. We also support cities, states, and the federal government to develop PFAS-free procurement initiatives. 

Over the last five years we’ve had a number of successes. Some of these include:  

Implementing strong drinking water standards 

• Advocated for strong health-protective drinking water standards for seven different PFAS in Michigan. The Whitmer administration issued the new standards in August 2020. 
• Through the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, we advocated that the EPA create the first-ever National PFAS Drinking Water Standards for six PFAS chemicals.  In April, 2024 EPA’s finalized rules  came after years of PFAS action by states and leading retailers nationwide. 

Sustainable Government Purchasing: 

• Partnered with the City of Ann Arbor to create their model sustainable procurement policy that explicitly lists PFAS and other hazardous chemicals to be avoided in city purchasing. This policy has served as a model for other small and mid-sized cities looking to create non-toxic purchasing policies. 
• Advocated alongside our partners to encourage the state of Michigan to limit its purchase of products made with PFAS, a directive that set a national precedent for state-level procurement policies focused on toxic chemicals and human health 
• Alongside the Environmental Working Group and Safer States, we successfully advocated for President Biden to direct the federal government to purchase clean, sustainable products, such as those without PFAS.

Legislation 

• Advocated for one of the first state ‘take-back’ programs for PFAS-containing firefighting foam in the country. HB 4390 was signed into law in July 2020. 
• Instrumental in getting a strong PFAS product ban introduced in the Michigan legislature. If passed, HB5657 would require companies to report their PFAS use, ban PFAS in 12 product categories and firefighting foam, and eventually ban PFAS in all nonessential uses. 
• We participate in ongoing advocacy for Congress to pass bills that would ban PFAS in consumer products and firefighting foam and regulate using a class-based chemical approach.  

Learn more about PFAS action for decision-makers.

Testing for PFAS in Products & the Environment

The Ecology Center's Healthy Stuff Lab tests consumer products for PFAS to help drive national market-based campaigns. We work in national coalitions to encourage manufacturers and retailers to clean up their product lines, while providing consumers the information they need to make toxic-free purchasing decisions. 

Following product testing, we often work with manufacturers to incorporate alternatives to PFAS and encourage the transparent disclosure of product contents. Recent products tested for PFAS include car seats, fast food containers, carpets, caulk, turf, and more. 

In addition to consumer products, the Ecology Center tests for PFAS in the environment.  Our community-based participatory research creates testing and sampling projects alongside impacted community members. 

Over the last several years we’ve partnered with communities in Oscoda, Dearborn, Detroit, and along the Huron and Rouge rivers to better understand where PFAS are showing up in the environment and educate communities about potential exposures.  Our reports and publications have covered PFAS in surface water foam, rainwater, fish, human blood, and more.