Source: https://www.traverseticker.com/, October 27, 2020
By: Beth Milligan

Approximately 20 households in East Bay Township could have drinking wells contaminated with PFAS chemicals linked to cancer and other health risks – with state and local health officials seeking to test the properties, provide bottled water as a short-term safety precaution, and potentially switch the homes to municipal hookups going forward, according to a virtual public town hall held Monday night.

Staff from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) presented results at the town hall from 10 sampling wells they installed in September along the south side of Parsons Road near Pine Grove neighborhood. EGLE selected the site to look for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of man-made chemicals found in numerous industrial and consumer products that have been identified in recent years as an “emerging contaminant” posing health risks to humans, according to Michigan’s Environmental Health department. The chemicals have been linked to increased cholesterol, decreased fertility, and increased likelihood of certain cancers, among other risks. Read more.