Michigan's Attorney General joined with twenty other state Attorneys General this week to call on Congress to pass legislation tightening restrictions on PFAs.
PFAs, or perfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of chemicals that have been found across the state and are linked to health problems including cancer.
In June, Attorney General Dana Nessel submitted a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency calling for tighter PFAs restrictions. Now, she's asking for federal legislation.
Kelly Rossman-McKinney is a spokesperson for Nessel.
“Our effort is to attack PFAs at every turn,” she said.
In theletter to congressional leaders the twenty-one state Attorneys General called for Congress to designate PFAs as a hazardous substance, which will help residents hold polluters accountable.
“Without federal legislative action to assist States and communities that are responding to this burgeoning threat,” the Attorneys General wrote, “the public may lose confidence in the safety of its drinking water sources, consumer products, and other routes of exposure to dangerous levels of PFAS.”
Rossman-McKinney said Nessel would also like to see funding for medical screenings for people who have been exposed to PFAs, particularly firefighters.