Taking Part in the MiChEM Project

What is the purpose of MiChEM?

The MiChEM project is the first statewide effort to gather data on the amount of certain chemicals in the blood and urine of Michiganders, including lead, mercury, and PFAS. This project will help MDHHS understand more about chemical exposures of Michigan residents. Taking part in MiChEM is completely free. Those invited to the project will receive a packet in the mail with a project invitation and information about the project.

How do I register?

• To register the adults in your household, visit https://is.gd/GVBh6T, enter the code from your letter, and follow the steps on the screen.
• If you prefer, call 844-464-7327 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and you can talk to the MiChEM project team. One adult per household will be randomly selected. We will be in each area for a limited time, so sign up now!

What will participants do?

Participants will answer survey questions online or by phone, which will take about 20 minutes. These questions are about how they may have come in contact with certain chemicals.

Participants will attend a 30-minute appointment. During the appointment, a trained professional will collect a blood sample and ask for a urine sample.

Once participants complete these steps, they will receive:

• A $65 Visa gift card.
• Personal lab results for the 197 chemicals that we measured in blood and urine samples they gave – a $1,000 value – along with resources on how to reduce chemical exposures.

Why was my household selected for MiChEM? Can those who did not get an invitation join the project?

• The goal of the MiChEM project is to better understand exposures to certain chemicals in Michigan residents.
• It is not possible to test everyone in the state, so the MiChEM project team used a statistical method to select households in different areas of the state to represent the state as a whole.
• All adults in selected households are eligible to register; however, we will randomly select only one adult from each household to participate in this important project. Only people who are selected can join the project.

Will participants get their lab results?

Yes. Unless participants choose to opt out, lab results will be mailed to participants’ homes. The results will tell participants the amount of certain chemicals in their blood and urine at the time they were collected. Results will not show:

• The source of any of the chemicals in blood or urine.
• Anything about any chemicals we did not measure.
• If the chemicals we measure are currently harming their health, have harmed health in the past, or may harm health in the future.

Privacy and safety are important to MDHHS.

MiChEM will never publicly release information that could identify participants, such as their name or address. MiChEM will protect results to the fullest extent of the law. All project staff are required by law to maintain confidentiality for all project participants.

Only MDHHS will have access to and maintain the privacy and security of participants’ data and samples. Other parties may request to see their data, but MDHHS will not give it unless participants give their explicit permission. All samples will be stored at the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories. Participants’ DNA will not be tested or given to any other parties.

If you have questions about the Michigan Chemical Exposure Monitoring (MiChEM) project, call 844-464-7327.

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