Officials stunned after discovering source of dangerous contamination in town's drinking water: 'It's a terrible situation'
State officials investigating the source of toxic chemicals in residential wells in the town of Cadillac, Michigan, found that common household products may be contaminating residents' drinking water.
As Bridge Michigan reported, ever since residents discovered PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in their private wells after getting their water tested, they've been anxiously awaiting answers from the state about the cause of the pollution.
Many believed the dangerous chemicals had come from the Cadillac Industrial Park near their homes, as the community has spent decades cleaning up volatile organic compounds and hexavalent chromium that leached into groundwater from local manufacturers.
But after officials tested water from 70 wells near the park, they discovered a surprising probable culprit behind the town's tainted water: everyday household products, such as shaving cream, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and shampoo.
All these items contain PFAS, and when residents and local businesses flush them down the drain, they enter septic systems and contaminate liquids from the sewage. Eventually, these toxic chemicals leach into groundwater.
While officials haven't definitively identified household products as the cause of the contaminated wells, they believe it's the most plausible explanation since most tests "lacked any clear link to the industrial park," noted Bridge Michigan.
"We're not seeing that smoking gun, so to speak," Abigail Hendershott, executive director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, told the news outlet.
However, she noted that heavy industry rather than septic systems likely polluted the wells in the industrial park's immediate vicinity.
"It's a terrible situation," added City Manager Marcus Peccia. "And it's a situation in which Cadillac is absolutely not unique."
Since PFAS are extremely pervasive and persistent in the environment, they can take hundreds of years to break down. As they build up in groundwater that residents rely on for drinking and cleaning, they can cause numerous health problems.
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PFAS have been linked to a range of conditions, including cancer, thyroid disease, poor immunity, reproductive disorders, and developmental delays.
With so many homes in the same area relying on untreated water from private wells, it can lead to a shocking level of PFAS exposure since thousands of household products contain the chemicals, per a University of Queensland study.
"These are a very large class of chemicals, and very few of them have been regulated for safety before they got out onto the market," Erica Bloom, the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center's toxics campaign director, told Bridge Michigan.
The state is distributing water filters to residents with PFAS-tainted wells, and Cadillac is seeking funds to cover the cost of switching residents to city water.
Officials have also urged residents to get their wells tested for PFAS through a certified lab. In addition, households can limit the amount of PFAS entering their septic systems by shopping for PFAS-free products. However, this takes dedication since the chemicals are in a vast array of products and at times aren't clearly labeled.
Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy provided the town of Pellston, which also had high concentrations of PFAS in water samples, with a grant to research and develop alternative water supplies. Perhaps something similar can be done for Cadillac residents until a more permanent solution is found.
Companies are working on removing PFAS from wastewater using new technology. The system is affordable and scalable, so it's possible it could be used to treat contaminated water in septic systems.
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