Four Democratic members of Michigan's Congressional delegation are putting forth legislation to combat PFAS air pollution.
If passed, the bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency to classify certain PFAS as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. It would also identify factories and facilities that release PFAS into the air.
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, is the sponsor of the bill. She said in a statement the Prevent Release of Toxic Emissions, Contamination and Transfer (PROTECT) Act would "close major regulatory gaps and strengthen federal oversight of PFAS air pollution. "
"I hear Michiganders all over the state talking to me about this" Stevens told WCMU. Stevens is also running in the Democratic primary for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat. "We've had a lot of first had experience with it... we've got to make sure that these chemicals don't get into our air."
Stevens added that the bill would "identify PFAS chemicals in our airways and to work to close loopholes," and "identify the bad actors so we can remove those chemicals."
The impact of PFAS exposure on the human body are still being researched. The Environmental Protection Agency says research links long-term impact of PFAS to increased cancer risk, developmental delays in children and reproductive issues.
The bill would also require the EPA to strengthen PFAS cleanup, public reporting efforts and classify certain PFAS as hazardous under the Clean Air Act.
According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy's PFAS site map, there are 370 sites and "areas of interest" in Michigan suspected to have some level of PFAS contamination in drinking wells.
Faith Cullens-Nobis is an educator with Michigan State University Extension. She said that it's impossible in to identify where PFAS is, or what it's in.
"It's really challenging to make informed choices," Cullens-Nobis said. "To stop the use of PFAS when we don't have a lot of control over it."
U.S. Reps Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, are all co-sponsors of the bill.
