It’s PFAS Awareness Week – the first ever. Championed by the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team’s Citizen Advisory Workgroup, made up of Michigan citizens impacted by PFAS--it’s a time devoted to encouraging Michiganders to take action to reduce their exposure to PFAS.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of human-made chemicals that were first used in the 1940s for industry and manufacturing, are linked to harmful human health effects, and have been found in Michigan’s water, soil, air, fish, wildlife, and people.
Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are present in many products and places, but there are ways to reduce exposure to them.
Here are four ways to do that:
Sample your private drinking water well
Did you know that there are over one million private drinking water wells in Michigan? PFAS move easily through the ground and can get into the groundwater you drink when products or wastes containing PFAS are disposed of, used, or spilled onto the ground or into lakes and rivers.
If you have a private drinking water well, testing is your responsibility. Since you can’t see, smell or taste PFAS, the only way to know for sure whether there are PFAS in your drinking water well is to sample.
PFAS sampling is different from other types of sampling because PFAS are present in many things we use in our everyday life, such as water-resistant and stain-resistant products.
Be sure to use proper sampling guidelines to avoid cross contamination, and contact a certified lab to get a test kit. Visit EGLE’s Home drinking water sampling guidance webpage for details.
For more information, check out EGLE’s Test Your Private Well for PFAS video.
Check the Eat Safe Fish Guide
Before you go fishing, check the Eat Safe Fish Guide to:
- Make sure you know how to identify the types of fish you will be catching.
- Understand what amount of the fish you catch is safe to eat. Depending on the type of fish and water body it is caught from, this can vary a lot.
The 2026 Eat Safe Fish Guide are designed to protect anybody who eats fish on a regular basis.
For more information, check out EGLE’s Check the Eat Safe Fish Guide video.
Avoid foam on surface water
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) often receives complaints about foam on a river or lake. This foam can be naturally occurring foam or foam formed because of environmental pollution. There are many things that can be introduced into a lake or stream that may cause foam to form.
Foam that forms on rivers, lakes, and streams can contain harmful bacteria and chemicals like PFAS which can be potentially harmful to your health. Avoid foam to protect the health of your family and pets.
Visit the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team’s (MPART) webpage that answers frequently asked questions about foam on lakes and streams.
Reduce the use of certain consumer products
You can be exposed to PFAS from everyday household items such as carpeting, cosmetics, and cleaning products.
Not only can switching to PFAS-free products decrease daily exposure to PFAS, but it also can decrease the amount of PFAS entering the environment.
Visit MPART’s PFAS in consumer products webpage for more information.