×

Board member hesitant on PFAS resolution

Brenda Fournier

ALPENA — The District Health Department No. 4 board may soon be asked to consider a resolution detailing regional contamination of perfluoroakyl and polyfluoroakyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, and calling for responsible parties to be held accountable, though one health board member was hesitant to support such a resolution.

Denise Bryan, administrative health officer for District Health Departments No. 4 and No. 2, told the No. 4 board Tuesday that a five-page resolution about PFAS will go before the No. 2 board on March 25 and would come to the No. 4 board in the near future.

However, Alpena County Commissioner Brenda Fournier, who represents the county on the No. 4 board, said she would not support a resolution she believes would put a target on Alpena.

If the board were to put the information out there, she said, it might ruin Alpena’s chance of growing and could discourage people from moving here.

“I just think it’s another unnecessary resolution,” she said. “The information is available now. Why have a resolution? Why target Alpena?”

Fournier said residents who want information about PFAS can access it on the health department’s website, dhd4.org, or by requesting information from the health department.

It also is accessible on the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s website at michigan.gov/pfasresponse.

Fournier said people who don’t understand PFAS will “think it’s very, very harmful,” but they shouldn’t. She said PFAS has not been proven to kill anybody.

While more research is needed, the DEQ says studies have linked PFAS to increased risks of cancer, lower chances of getting pregnant in women, and other ailments.

Fournier said the health department should definitely notify the public if PFAS becomes a health issue, but, as of right now, it’s not, and won’t be until scientists can prove it is.

Bryan said homeowners, business owners and resort owners have expressed similar opinions in Oscoda, where the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base is dealing with its own PFAS contamination. She said one of the “unintended consequences” of talking about PFAS is that it can stigmatize an area.

Bryan said she made the decision early in Oscoda to be very transparent with the public. She said she would be OK if the No. 4 board didn’t want to do a resolution, but added activist groups are getting more involved with the issue.

The District Health Department No. 2 serves Alcona, Iosco, Oscoda and Ogema counties. The No. 4 department serves Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency and Cheboygan counties.

Bryan said she would use the proposed resolution being considered by the No. 2 board as a “template” and would change parts to include information about two contaminated sites in Alpena: the Combat Readiness Training Center and the former Alpena Hide and Leather tannery.

“I would say Alpena County is the most impacted at this time,” Bryan said.

PFAS are a diverse group of compounds resistant to heat, water and oil, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They have been used in hundreds of industrial applications and consumer products such as carpeting, apparels, upholstery, food paper wrappings, firefighting foams and metal plating.

The News has previously reported there are several locations at the CRTC where groundwater has tested above the EPA’s health advisory levels for PFAS and that the DEQ is actively overseeing the issue. Of the 115 private wells tested, none tested with levels above the federal criteria of 70 parts per trillion.

Additionally, testing at Alpena Hide and Leather has taken place since August 2017 after PFAS were detected in groundwater and soil samples. The DEQ will continue to conduct groundwater sampling on the site, with the next sampling set for April.

Bryan also told the board about a site in Montmorency County, a senior apartment complex called Oak Leaf Manor, where drinking water wells tested at 18 parts per trillion. That is far below the 70 ppt threshold set by the federal government, but far above the 5 ppt some Michigan lawmakers would like to set for the state.

Bryan said the compound at Oak Leaf Manor is of concern to toxicologists and that officials will continue to monitor the PFAS level to see if it increases or decreases.

Bryan told the board she would keep them posted on the PFAS resolution and believes residents are going to want the update, as well.

The next meeting of the District Health Department No. 4 board is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 16 at its Cheboygan offices, 825 S. Huron St.

The No. 2 board meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. March 25 at the West Branch offices, 630 Progress St.

The appropriate response to PFAS has been harshly debated in recent years at the local, state and national levels.

On Tuesday, state Rep. Sue Allor, R-Wolverine, who represents Northeast Michigan, issued a statement slamming the U.S. Department of Defense over reports it had lobbied President Donald Trump’s administration to be lenient in its requirements for PFAS cleanup at bases such as Wurtsmith.

“We all have to take responsibility for our actions, whether we like it or not,” Allor said. “It is underhanded and unfair to the citizens of this state for federal bureaucrats to try and dodge responsibility at the eleventh hour, and leave Michigan taxpayers with the bill.”

Defense officials told the New York Times for a March 14 story that they “will work in collaboration with regulatory agencies and communities to ensure our resources are applied effectively to protect human health across the country as part of a national effort led by EPA,” but are concerned about a price tag for cleanup that could reach $2 billion.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at cnelson@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5687.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today